


The Wager

by ISHIPALLTHETHINGS91



Category: Book of Life (2014)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Slow Burn, side joaquin and manolo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-05-09 21:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 71,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14724171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ISHIPALLTHETHINGS91/pseuds/ISHIPALLTHETHINGS91
Summary: Another Day of the Dead is finally here. La Muerte goes to the land of the living and is shocked to see Maria, the jewel of the town, unsatisfied with her marriage with Manolo. Another wager is struck and La Muerte finds herself falling hard for a human. 1 year after movie! Main ship: Maria X La Muerte (kind of slow burn) but there is another :)





	1. The Day of the Dead

It was a clear night that was brightened by thousands of candles. Families gathered around various tombstones as they placed plates overflowing with food for their ancestors. Small children ran and screamed in delight as they chased one another in a game of tag. Adults bowed their heads and prayed, feeling their deceased family come up from the Land of the Remembered to visit them for that one night out of the year. All around were smiles and celebrating. Everything was so colorful and lively in a field filled with death.

La Muerte smiled from her spot on the roof of the church as she watched a dog join in the game of tag with the children. She laughed behind a raised hand as one of the children had tried to tag the dog, succeeding only when he baited the creature with a churro. The poor thing was confused as the children ran away from it, but after a moment it barked in joy as it chased the one who had tagged him. La Muerte suspected that it was more out of the desire to get more churros than the joy of playing the game.

A scoff was heard from behind her. "Really my dear. Why do you find such squealing creatures amusing?"

The smile only grew but she kept her eyes on the game of tag as she answered the presence behind her. "Come now Xibalba, it is the Day of the Dead. The children are only celebrating the only way they know. They're living."

A humph was her only reply and La Muerte turned her head to look at her husband. Xibalba leaned against his two headed snake staff, his eyes watching the children with a look akin to puzzlement. La Muerte giggled at the expression and got up from her sitting position. She more floated than walked to his side and entwined their arms. She felt Xibalba tense for a moment before leaning into her touch with a barely audible sigh of content.

"I simply do not understand the appeal to children. They screech like a banshee if they get a scraped knee, they need to be constantly looked after, and they know nothing of manners." Xibalba shook his head in distaste as his black wings ruffled behind him.

"They also smile at even the most simplest of gestures, they are so filled with potential, and they do not know of the hardships of this world," La Muerte replied. When Xibalba grunted in disagreement, she reached up with her free hand and stroked his face in a way that would make him agree with anything she said. She smirked at the way he followed her hand when she began to pull it away.

"See mi amor, children aren't so bad." She nodded towards the group who were now sharing food with one another. They gave the dog most of the food and the creature's tail would not stop wagging. La Muerte smiled at the scene and with a discreet wave of her hand, a bone appeared in front of the dog. It yipped in shock at the sudden appearance of magic but quickly dove for the treat. The children were thankfully too busy talking to one another to notice the bone manifesting.

"Hmm," Xibalba hummed noncommittally, still dazed by La Muerte's display of affection. He smiled at his wife, completely unaware of his surroundings.

La Muerte laughed as she rolled her eyes.  _He is simply too easy,_ she said in her head. Her eyes wandered back over the festivities. After a second, she focused on a statue of a man a little ways away from the main part of the cemetery. She knew that the statue was not there a year prior and wondered for a moment who it could possibly be. The statue was very short and had some sort of round body that indicated the man had a hunchback when he was alive. She tilted her head to the side as she saw a figure dressed in black bow its head and bend over to rest a bouquet in front of the statue's feet. The figure was very much unlike the other people, this one preferring silence and gloom rather than celebration.

"Maria?" La Muerte knew that the young woman's father had passed recently and that the town and had made him a statue as a tribute to his dedication to the safety of San Angel. She glanced at Xibalba who finally realized where he was and was now watching the woman as well.

Together, they materialized into a cloud of magic to get a better spot: La Muerte a breeze of marigold pedals; Xibalba an inky shadow.

They stopped on top of a dome of some mausoleum. They paid their respect to the ancestors by making flowers spring out of the ground around the stone building, or rather La Muerte did. Xibalba only scoffed at the irritated ancestors. With one glare, he forced the dead to back away without any more complaints.

La Muerte frowned at her husband and turned her attention back to Maria.

Maria smiled sadly at the statue. "Hola Papa. It's me, Maria. I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you as often as I probably should but-" she paused as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Oh papa," she cried, "I-I think I made a mistake in marrying Manolo."

La Muerte and Xibalba shared a shocked glance before looking back at the grieving woman. Neither of them were expecting this.

"I j-just don't l-love him and I know he d-doesn't love me," Maria sobbed. She angrily wiped away the tears before she continued. "I just - oh papa I'm so al-alone!"

La Muerte felt sympathy for the young woman; from the sound of her voice, she guessed that Maria was holding this in for a long time. She glanced at her husband. Xibalba looked uncomfortable as he witnessed the woman's break down. Strangely, he was the first to say anything.

"Come mi amor, let her have her peace." He turned away and morphed into a cloud of inky shadow, zooming his way back to the church roof.

La Muerte prepared to follow his lead but someone coughed to get her attention. She looked down to see the ghost of General Posada looking pleadingly up at her. "Please my lady, can I tell mi hija that I am with her?"

La Muerte smiled sadly and shook her head. "We do not belong in this world, Dali Posada. We can allow them to feel our presence for this day but they cannot see us. I'm sorry." And she meant it. She knew that Maria only wanted some company but she could not bend the laws again. Not so soon after last year.

Posada gazed at his weeping daughter and sniffed. "If I ever get my hands on that boy, I'll-" He stopped talking and walked over to Maria, placing a hand on a shuddering shoulder that will not be felt. He looked back at La Muerte. "Surely you can do something? My child does not deserve such pain."

La Muerte thought for a moment and sighed. "Life can be really hard for the living. I swear that I will see if I can do anything to ease her burden." She bowed her head. "Goodbye General Posada."

She did not wait to hear the dead man's words. She left in a cloud of marigold flowers and materialized next to Xibalba. She noticed that the god was looking anywhere but the direction of Maria. She placed a hand on his arm. "Are you okay, Xibalba?" she asked.

"You seem saddened by the girl's predicament," he said carefully. He still did not look at her.

La Muerte furrowed her brow. "And you are not?" She looked down at the celebrating people. "It is our fault that she is feeling the pain she is now."

It was Xibalba's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"That wager we made long ago, about who will take Maria's hand in marriage. Perhaps we shouldn't have." La Muerte sighed, her shoulders sagging under the sudden weight of her actions.

Xibalba raised his eyebrows in shock. "Even if we hadn't, Manolo would have married the girl. It was inevitable," he reasoned.

La Muerte shook her head after considering the god's words. "We can never know for sure though. We interfered with their lives, used them as pawns for some stupid bet! Xibalba, what if Maria was never meant to marry either of those two boys?" She looked at Maria's silhouette in shame and panic. "We could have very well robbed her of her chance at True Love."

Xibalba did not look convinced. "Who could she possibly have married if it wasn't Manolo or Joaquin? Face it dear, you are simply too excitable these days."

La Muerte frowned at the lack of sympathy from the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She knew that the time he spent ruling such a wasteland had hardened his heart but she could not believe he was acting so callous.

He seemed to notice the change of mood with his wife as Xibalba cleared his throat a moment later. "What I meant to say is, the girl would most likely have wound up with one of the boys. I bet you that if we were to take a look at the Book of Life then it would have clearly shown Manolo and Maria getting married!"

La Muerte looked appalled and Xibalba retreated a step, ashamed of himself as if he brought up a taboo subject. After a moment La Muerte shrugged her shoulders as she looked over at Maria, the burst of anger giving way to sadness. "We will never know now," she said. "Manolo erased his predestined story and wrote his own. Because of us."

Xibalba's eyes darted from one family to another down below as he thought of a way to cheer up his wife. A fleeting thought entered his mind of telling La Muerte that some people do not have stories set in stone for them but threw it out a moment later. This will only serve to make her more upset. He smiled suddenly when an idea came to his mind. "Are you so sure about that?" he said, his voice becoming as smooth as honey.

La Muerte glanced at him, her face warning him to think his words very carefully. She knew that tone of voice and when he spoke like that, he wanted to-

"How about we have another little wager?"

\- have a bet of some sort. She scowled at the smiling god, the candles that adorned her dress and sombrero flaring up and her eyes glowing with the force of a small sun. "I just told you that we should have never made that wager and you ask me for another one." Her words were calm but her eyes did not lose their luminescence.

Xibalba smiled, apparently unaffected by his wife's display of displeasure. "Yes. I wager that you cannot make that girl happy again."

La Muerte narrowed her eyes, not believing what she had just heard. She barely noticed that the flames of her candles receded to their natural height and her eyes dimmed to their normal luminescence. "What did you just say?"

Xibalba's smile grew. "I said I bet that you cannot make that Maria girl happy again."

She thought over the words, wary to the fact that she was starting to like this idea of Xibalba's. "And if I do?"

His smile turned triumphant. "If you win then," he trailed off, thinking of something not that important for him to lose but something that would keep his wife interested. He frowned when he found the perfect gamble. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he decided.

 _This is to make her happy,_ he thought.

"If you win then I will not interfere with the lives of men. For only one century mind you!" he added hastily.

La Muerte blinked slowly as Xibalba told her of her possible winnings. "You swear? No meddling with the affairs of men for an entire century?"

The god nodded, making sure that his wife knew just how reluctant he was.

"And if I lose?"

Xibalba's smile returned however it turned much darker. "Then I get the Land of the Remembered!" La Muerte's eyes narrowed as the flames rose up warningly. "I'm only kidding mi amor! If I win then you must allow me to at least go to one of your Day of the Dead fiestas."

La Muerte smiled as she held out a hand. "I will do you one even better. If I lose, then you can visit me every Day of the Dead and we can enjoy the endless fiestas together."

Xibalba chuckled and shook hands with his wife. "That my dear, sounds most wonderful. Good luck." He vanished away without another word, leaving La Muerte alone on the church's roof.

She shook her head in amusement before calming down. She stepped off of the roof, a cloud of marigolds making steps for her. She reached the ground and began to walk towards Maria and her father's grave. None of the people even glanced at her, she was invisible to them. When she passed a fountain, she glanced at the wall of water flowing down to meet the pool below.

No longer was she La Muerte. She was now Mary Beth. Her glowing eyes became baby blue and her long, curvy black hair turned into straight red hair that ended at her waist. Her traditional dress and hat also changed. Instead of a red dress, she wore a white shirt hidden under a blue jacket that highlighted her eyes and a white skirt that showed off her legs and black heels.

Mary made her way over to Maria and hesitated at the mausoleum. She took a deep breath before resuming her march.

Maria sniffed and did not look at the figure that was approaching her. "Manolo please, I just want to be left alone," she said with another sniff.

"I'm sorry but who is Manolo?"

Maria stiffened and looked at the woman who was watching her curiously. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and stood up. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband." Her breath caught on the word 'husband' and she turned her head so the stranger did not see her watery eyes.

Mary looked at the statue Maria was staring at. "He looks like a hero," she commented.

Maria smiled weakly at the other woman. "He was," she whispered. Tears pricked at her eyes but she would not allow them to fall in front of someone she did not know.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mary said softly. She took a step closer and glanced to the left of Maria where her father stood watching them. The man looked like he did not like this turn of events but did not voice his opinion. "Can you feel him?"

Maria hesitated before shaking her head. "No. I think he might not have shown up today. He's probably disappointed in me." She blushed as she realized that she had told a complete stranger something extremely personal.

"How are you so sure?"

Maria glanced at the strange woman who had turned her head to stare at the statue. "That's none of your business." She was shocked at how cold her voice sounded.

Mary was surprised as well. She turned her head to stare at the younger woman, as if she could not believe that Maria would have the audacity to talk to her like that. Maria saw a glimmer of something that looked like admiration but she could not tell for sure. Mary nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry for prying. It's just that I just arrived here and I have no idea where anything is or who anyone is. If you like, I can leave you to grieve in peace. Although, if I may, I believe that your father would prefer if you celebrate who he was in life."

Mary turned to walk away from Maria but felt a soft hand touch her shoulder.

"No wait. I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Maria looked ashamed as she looked at the ground. "Today is the first Day of the Dead without my papa."

Mary turned around and offered a sad smile. "It gets better." She nodded towards the statue. "He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would be ashamed of his daughter."

Maria smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "I hope so. I really do." She ran her hands across her dress to buy herself some time to think of something to say. "You mentioned that you were new right?" Mary nodded with a smile. "Well, how about I show you around tomorrow as an apology?"

Mary looked confused for a moment. "You already apologized and besides, it was my fault. I shouldn't have intruded on your private moment."

Maria shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It would be my pleasure to show you around San Angel." The little light in her eyes dimmed as she added. "It would get my mind off of some things too."

Mary nodded and felt a little concerned at Maria's attitude. "Okay, where do you want to meet?"

Maria asked, "Do you know where the town's fountain is?" Mary nodded. "Great! We'll meet up there at noon."

Mary smiled a small smile. "Until then," she said. She turned around and began to walk away. After leaving Maria's eyesight, she turned back into La Muerte. She dashed to the church's roof top before anyone could see that she was there. She looked at the direction of Maria and felt relieved when the young woman did not seem to start crying again. She felt excitement bubble up inside her and she found that she could not wait until tomorrow.

The bet was on.


	2. Welcome to San Angel

Mary sat at the fountain's ledge, waiting. Her legs swung back and forth as she fought against the looming boredom. She checked the clock on the town hall to her right. 1:32. She had been waiting for Maria for little over half an hour. She sighed and leaned back on her hands, careful that her hair did not get wet.

Maria was late. Mary thought about simply leaving the fountain and asking one of the market people to tell the younger woman that she had errands to do and that they could meet up again around the same time the next day. She knew that she would seem rude but she did not like being away from the Land of the Remembered for too long. Mary had confidence in most of the inhabitants to stay out of trouble but the Sanchezes were an entirely different case. She cared for the family but sometimes they gave her a migraine. She closed her eyes and sighed again, wishing she was in her true form and had the ability to summon a book out of thin air to read.

Just as she started to doze off, and getting the tips of her hair wet in the process, she heard the telltale clicks of heels walking on stones. She sat up straight and looked to her left.

Maria was approaching her with a blue leash in her hand. She was wearing her normal dress and seemed to look as she always did, even if she had the slightest hint of bags under her eyes. Chuy padded along right behind her, looking as if he was having the time of his life being out and about.

Maria stopped in front of Mary and laughed nervously. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. I woke up late today and Chuy was being a little difficult."

Chuy snorted at the accusation but his smile did not leave his face.

"Chuy?" Mary asked as she looked at the pig. She got off of the fountain's ledge and walked over to Chuy. She reached down and scratched him lightly behind his ear. Chuy gave a strange delighted bark and even a back leg was pawing at the air as a dog's would. "What an interesting animal," she said with wonderment on her face.

Chuy gave the strange bark again and lifted his head so Mary's hand was now scratching his chin. His nose sniffed a little in the air and his entire body tensed up. He looked suspiciously at Mary and gave a soft growl.

Mary's eyes widened as she realized that Chuy must have recognized her as La Muerte by her scent. She glanced quickly at Maria and almost exhaled a breath of relief, the younger woman was staring at the town hall's clock, apparently realizing just how late she was.

Mary's focus returned to Chuy as his growl increased in volume. "Shh, Chuy, I just want to help Maria feel better. Please don't tell her who I am," she whispered rapidly, aware that any moment Maria would notice that her pig was growling at her.

Chuy considered Mary for a moment and his growling stopped. With narrowed eyes, he nudged Mary's hand again.

Mary chuckled and resumed her petting. Chuy continued to look suspiciously at her but after a few seconds his back leg began to paw the air again.

"Huh, Chuy usually doesn't like strangers."

Mary almost jumped at Maria's comment, forgetting for a moment that she was there. She smiled at her and gave Chuy one final pat before straightening up. "I've always been good with animals."

Maria grinned. "Well, where do you want to go first?"

Mary shrugged. "Wherever you want to," she said. 

Maria smiled and this time her eyes managed to light up only just a tiny bit. She pointed to the town hall with her thumb. It was an old building whose structure Mary was not too confident in. She wondered for a moment how the roof became slanted to the far left. "Well, for starters that is San Angel's town hall," Maria said with an air of indifference. "The only thing that gets done in there is the floors and even that only happens about once every few generations."

Mary laughed at the joke. "That's too bad. Doesn't the mayor take care of his town?"

Maria shrugged. "Not really. The brigade usually makes sure that everyone is safe and happy." The small light in her eyes dimmed.

"What else is here? Is there a library or a theater?" Mary quickly asked, she did not want Maria to dwell on unpleasant thoughts. Today was meant for exploring after all.

Maria nodded. "We do have a library but it's very rundown. You can hardly find anything worth reading in there at all! And our theater only produces puppet shows for the little ones."

Mary was frowning at this new bit of information. "Surely you have  _something_  worth seeing." She felt a light blush appear on her cheeks as she realized how offensive she sounded. "I'm sorry, that sounded rude. It's just that where I come from, it was almost like there a new celebration every day."

Maria raised her delicate eyebrows. "That sounds exhausting."

Mary gave a little laugh. "Sometimes it is."

Maria thought for a while before a smile sprung up on her lips. This time, her eyes shone brightly as a destination formed in her head. "I know some places that I think you might like! Come on, if we hurry we might actually see the mariachi brothers."

Without further ado, Maria walked quickly through the crowds and Mary kept up with her, laughing softly at the sudden energy she saw in the younger woman.

After walking, or rather Maria dragging Mary along with her with enough speed that even Chuy struggled to keep up with them, they stopped in front of the church La Muerte had used as a lookout the night before. Mary almost laughed at the irony but she knew that Maria would want an explanation.

The younger woman stopped in front of the doors and looked back at Mary, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth in a sign of nervousness. "This is one of my favorite places in San Angel. The stained glasses are just beautiful when the fading sun's light streams through it."

Mary nodded with a smile. She opened one of the old doors for Maria. "Let's go in then, shall we?"

Maria returned the smile and went inside with Mary following close behind her. Mary gasped when she saw the stained glass. She could only see a hint of them in the night but midday made the windows almost too bright to look at.

The first thing that caught her attention was the portrait of herself as La Muerte. She was sitting in a golden throne as several skeletal dogs sat all around her, all of them wearing a smile. La Muerte was wearing her ever present smile as she petted one of the dogs, seemingly lost in thought. She looked like a goddess that she strived to be; pure and good.

Mary tilted her head to one side as she grinned at the glass.  _Is that what people think of me?_  she wondered.

"I hear from Manolo that she is a very kind and just god."

Mary almost jumped at the sound of Maria's voice. She looked at the younger woman who was gazing at the stained glass with a mixture of awe and happiness.

"Surely you heard about her wager with Xibalba, the lord of the Land of the Forgotten. She used a man and his love for a woman to win a bet with Xibalba." Mary was almost afraid to look at Maria's face as she mentioned the bet she had made years ago when Maria, Joaquin, and Manolo were just children.

To her immense surprise and relief, Maria shrugged as if the thought that gods interfering with her affairs and essentially using her as a bargaining chip did not bother her in the slightest. "Manolo told me," was all she said. She leaned closer to Mary and whispered, "I was the woman and he was the man."

Mary feigned shock and knew she achieved the desired effect by the way Maria looked at the glass window again. She could not help but felt a slight disappointment at not being told Maria's feelings about the ordeal. She made a mental note to get the woman to tell her more about her possible misgivings.

Maria looked confused for a second before she turned her head to look Mary in the eye. "How do you know about La Muerte and Xibalba's wager?" There was a slight edge to her voice and Mary immediately put up her walls.

Chuy, who was behind Maria, stopped pretending to not listen on their conversation and looked at Mary with sympathy. He gave a soft "bey" as a way to tell Mary that he was on her side.

Mary quickly shrugged as she turned her attention back to the stained glass of La Muerte. "My apartment is above one of the bars. When I was heading up, I heard a few men talking about it over drinks. Apparently, their wager is big gossip on the Day of the Dead."

This time, Maria looked a little irritated. "Those men need to learn to keep their noses out of other people's business."

Mary nodded in agreement and felt a twinge of guilt at the fact that she was the reason there was gossip about the other woman in the first place. She turned to start heading out to escape the obvious tension but the stained glass opposite of her portrait caught her eye. She walked up to it and studied it.

Sitting in his throne made of tar was Xibalba. Unlike her, he did not smile; he glared at an empty space on the wall. His mouth was set at a permanent scowl and his wings were open behind him to cast his body in an unearthly shadow. Two snake heads peaked up from his shoulders, their fangs glistening in the sun. Overall, he looked exactly like what people thought of him: an evil ruler without an ounce of goodness in his heart.

Maria seemed to notice that Mary was staring up at the lord of the Land of the Forgotten and joined her. "Manolo says that he, on the other hand, is cruel and a cheater."

Mary looked at Maria and shook her head. "He's misunderstood, that's all," she defended her husband.

Maria did not look convinced as she shrugged while giving the window a distrustful look. "He tricked Manolo into thinking I was dead. He went to the Land of the Remembered to find me but I wasn't there just so Xibalba could rule that realm. He had single handedly screwed my life over without ever apologizing to anyone. In my book, that makes him cruel."

Mary could not think of any argument so she nodded her head slowly. She gave the stained glass of her husband one more look before she turned away. "Is there anywhere else you wanted to show me?"

Maria's dark look vanished instantly at the words. She smiled with a nod. "Oh yes, there are two more places we need to go before the day's end."

Once again Maria dragged Mary through the streets, however this time they went much slower. Maria pointed out various little shops and restaurants. There was an instance in which the young woman glared at a butcher's place that had a pen filled with pigs next to it. "Murderers," she muttered as she led Mary and Chuy quickly to get away from the shop. The pig gazed sadly at his brethren as they moved away.

They rounded a corner and Maria turned her head to look at Mary. "That was the place where I found Chuy."

Chuy barked happily and seemed to have forgotten the fate of the other pigs.

She chuckled as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I was only eight then, and my father got so upset when I gave the pigs their freedom." A sad look came over Maria's face as her voice lowered. "He sent me to Arroba to learn how to become a proper woman. I loved it there but I missed Manolo and Joaquin and everyone else so much."

Chuy looked concerned at Maria and nudged her hand with a soft bark. Without the woman's realizing, she had bent lower so she could pet Chuy. The pig leaned against Maria and gazed up at her with love.

Maria seemed to remember where she was and walked with renewed awareness. She smiled gratefully at Chuy as she patted his head. "Of course you were there to give me company."

Chuy gave another strange bark as he trotted along.

Mary grinned at the display of affection. "Did you learn to become a proper woman then?"

Maria giggled as she looked back at Mary. "Oh no. No matter what they did, the nuns could never break my little rebellious streak."

Mary joined in the laughter and even Chuy seemed to be chuckling. Well, there were consistent small "beys" as his body shook with mirth. Mary did not notice that the two in front of her had stopped until she was standing right next to Maria.

They were in front of an ancient building. It was the size of a small mansion but nowhere near as glorious. There was a missing window here and there and the bottom right corner of the building looked as if somebody had punched the bricks halfway out. All around the walls there was peeling paint, revealing yellow-aged stone underneath. The door only hung on one hinge and had a rather long crack running along the middle. In front of the building was a sign that was so worn that the words looked like mere blurs.

Even with all of these defects, there was a homey feeling to the building. Children chased each other in the front yard as a nun watched them from a wooden bench. Two girls and a boy were crawling in a patch of purple flowers next to the nun, apparently trying to sneak up on her. They failed miserably; one of the girls had sneezed right before they could lunge.

Maria giggled at the scene and looked back at Mary. "Well, what do you think?"

Mary shrugged, however a grin was on her face. "It looks rather… used."

It was Maria's turn to shrug. "Yeah but that just gives it more character." She frowned as a boy chasing a screaming girl ran past them. "Pedro! What did I tell you about chasing Megan?"

Pedro immediately slowed down and allowed Megan to escape. He wore an expression as if Maria had told him no dinner for the night. "I was just trying to play tag with her, Professor Posada."

Maria's face softened. "Well, ask her if she wants to play next time. Don't let me catch you chasing her again," she said sternly but her eyes were still soft.

Pedro nodded and smiled at Maria before taking off, presumably finding another person to chase.

Mary raised an eyebrow at Maria. "Professor Posada?"

Maria nodded with a kind smile. "I was originally only supposed to be a volunteer but one of the kids was having trouble with math. Once the nuns found out I was giving free tutoring lessons, they asked if I wanted to become a teacher and well, here I am."

"So you work here?"

Maria shook her head. "No, I'm still just a volunteer. They need every peso they can save. That door won't last another storm," she said with a frown.

Mary smiled. "It adds character."

"Oh shut up," Maria laughed. "Come on, there's one more place you have to see if you're serious about staying in San Angel."

Mary followed Maria, however she noticed with amusement that some of the children were following them until a nun had called them back. They walked in comfortable silence for ten minutes, it only being broken when Chuy sniffed at some lamp post.

Mary could see where they were going before they had arrived. They were walking towards the bull ring. She glanced at Maria and noticed that the woman kept her gaze straight ahead and her shoulders were a little stiff.

Mary frowned at Maria and wondered why Maria was not excited to see the bull ring. She knew that the woman did not like the killing of the bull but since Manolo helped changed that, she should not have any more apprehension towards the ring.

Maria took a deep breath before finally looking at her companion. "This is the bull ring. Impressive, isn't it?"

Impressive was an understatement. It was gigantic, able to hold all the citizens of San Angel and still have room for another small town. The ring itself was clearly redone. The holding pen for the bull was much cleaner and Mary expected that the living quarters for the bulls were improved as well. The wooden railing that separated the matador and the bull was replaced with sturdy metal. Movement caught her eye and she realized they were not alone.

There was a lone man in the ring. He wore a black suit that was decorated with various matador medals and skulls. He waved a red flag at a large bull with a smirk on his face. The bull pawed the ground and let out a low growl, shaking his head so that the light reflected off the metal tips on his horns.

The man seemed unperturbed at the aggressive display. He waved his red cape again. "Venga!" he yelled.

The command did the trick. The bull released a hair-raising roar and charged. It lowered its head so that the horns were pointed at the man's chest.

The matador appeared unfazed as the beast ran closer to him. At the last possible second, he stepped to the right, the bull's horn stabbing through thin air. He gave a shout of victory and dodged the bull once more.

Again and again, the bull charged the man without any needed prompting from the cape. Each time the bull lunged, the man stepped nimbly out of the way with a wry smile and a wave of his red cape.

It became apparent to Mary that the fight was almost like a dance. The bull would make a move and the matador would respond. The two were going around in intricate circles throughout the bull ring, the bull leading. The two did not hesitate for a moment with their movements, simply acting and reacting.

On the fifth circle, the man seemed to notice that he had an audience. He looked back at the bull and raised the flag high in the air. It seemed to be a signal of some sort because the bull stopped trying to charge. It sat down on its haunches, panting from the exercise, lowering his head so the horns were pointed at the ground instead of Manolo. The matador dropped the cape and the bull rose again, this time walking over to one side of the ring. Mary saw that the man began walking behind the bull and even opened a gate with his back to the beast. The bull did not take this opportunity to attack; it simply walked through the opened gate to where Mary assumed his living quarters were hidden inside the ring's walls.

The matador walked back to the middle of the ring to retrieve his cape before strolling over to the two waiting women. He smiled at them but his eyes were wary as he greeted them. "Hola Maria."

"Hola Manolo." Mary could have sworn she had detected some coldness in Maria's voice.

Manolo scratched the back of his head and seemed to be thinking of something to say and quickly. He glanced at Mary and his eyes lit up in relief as he smiled at her. "Who's your new friend?"

Mary smiled back and held out a hand. "My name is Mary Beth. I'm new here and your wife was nice enough to show me around."

Manolo's smile faltered for a moment at the word 'wife' and he glanced at Maria. Mary followed the glance and saw Maria's frown. Chuy stopped sniffing around Manolo's shoes to look between the married couple with concern on his face. When Maria realized that they were both looking at her, she erased the frown.

"Oh yes," Maria said. "I showed her the chapel and the orphanage."

"I'm surprised you didn't show her the library." Manolo's joke did not earn a laugh from either women, however Mary looked more interested while Maria simply shrugged.

Mary glanced between the two and could practically hit the tension between them. "Maybe you could show me the library now? Even if it is rundown." she asked hopefully, wanting to escape the suffocating atmosphere, even if it meant spending hours trying to find a book that was readable.

Chuy barked in agreement and even jumped on the spot once. He ran to the edge of the ring, tugging the leash once in his excitement.

"No," Maria responded. "It's getting late, the library is probably closed now."

Manolo coughed and once again scratched his head as he tried to find another topic for them to talk about. He glanced up and saw the sun almost touching the horizon. "Well, I got to go. I have a – uh – meeting with a dear friend."

Maria rolled her eyes when she thought that Mary was not looking. Manolo all but ran from the two women but he was not fast enough. "Have fun with your friend Manolo," Maria called. Mary was surprised when she caught sight of the small smirk on Maria's lips.

Manolo stopped retreating and looked back at his wife. Mary was even more shocked to see guilt on his face as he nodded. "Yeah," before he resumed walking out of the bull ring.

Mary and Maria stood there awkwardly with Chuy silently observing them. "Um…" Mary said.

Maria sighed and offered a half-hearted smile. "Sorry about that. Manolo and I are" she searched for the right words, "having a bit of trouble right now."

Mary nodded in understanding. "My husband and I are like that too." She knew that she said the wrong words the second they were out of her mouth. "Our – uh – disagreement is actually why I'm here now."

Maria appeared to be shocked at learning that Mary was not only married but having marriage issues. She spoke almost shyly to her. "No – we're not – I mean that he – what I mean to say is," she let out a frustrated breath, "Manolo's just being difficult."

"About what?" Mary's words seemed to make things even worse. Maria's eyes glanced at Chuy as if asking him to help her out.

Maria shook her head. "Nothing that can't be solved, he's just in a tight position right now." She made a gesture to the exit. "Shall we go?"

Mary nodded and followed the woman out. Chuy padded alongside her with still with a concerned expression. "Does his tight position involve his friend?"

Maria jumped at the question. "W-well yes but-" she ran a hand across her dress to straighten imaginary wrinkles, "it's nothing bad per say. Manolo's just scared about nothing." She gave Mary a grin and this time her eyes did light up a little.

"Are you sure that it's not bad?" Mary had a sinking suspicion that Maria was not telling her something important.

"Yes, people just tend to overact." Maria stopped walking and clasped her hands together in front of her. She looked around at the different streets. "So, where are you staying?"

Mary was not expecting the sudden change in topic. She pointed in a random direction. "A few blocks that way."

Maria followed the direction Mary was pointing with her eyes and nodded. "Okay." She made a move to start heading that way.

"No thank you," Mary said quickly, "I can go by myself just fine." Maria looked a little hurt by the rejection. "We can meet up again at the fountain next weekend if you aren't busy."

Maria looked happy at the offer. "Of course. We can have lunch at one of the restaurants I showed you today. Have a good night Mary. Come on Chuy."

Chuy gave Mary a happy bark and followed Maria as she walked away. Mary watched the two with a small smile. Once they were out of sight and she made sure no one was watching her, she turned back to La Muerte.

She felt herself smirk as her mind rattled off the possibilities of what Manolo and Maria were hiding. It was quite obvious that fixing Maria's marriage would be extremely difficult for her to achieve. But if there was one thing to be said about La Muerte, it is that she always loved a good challenge.


	3. An Afternoon with Friends

Mary rounded a corner as she headed towards the fountain that she had been resting on while waiting for Maria at their previous meeting. She was humming a random tune softly to herself as she walked in a brisk pace. She found that she had been looking forward to lunch with Maria ever since she returned to the Land of the Remembered. Maybe now she could get some answers to the questions that buzzed around her head for a day now.

The fountain was in her sight and she grinned when she saw that Maria was already there sitting on the ledge, reading a book with a thoughtful frown. She walked over and almost chuckled at how Maria did not even know of her presence, too engrossed in her novel.

"Buenos tardes Maria," Mary said warmly. She could not hide the bubble of laughter that escaped her when Maria jumped in surprise and almost fell into the fountain's water. When she succeeded in staying upright and completely dry, Maria glared at Mary. However, upon further inspection Mary noticed that Maria's eyes were alight with humor.

"Give me a warning before you scare ten years out of me!" Maria scolded Mary as if she were her teacher and Mary one of the orphan students, her book still clenched in her hands. Now that Mary was closer, she could see that it was a very worn copy.

"I will consider it," Mary said with a laugh. She sat down next to Maria and took a peek at what she was reading. She giggled when she read the cover which earned her another half-hearted glare. "The Complete Works of Shakespeare?" she asked, astonished.

"Yeah, so what? I like Shakespeare." Maria made a move to hide the book from Mary's eyes when the older woman shook her head.

"I'm not making fun of you, I swear! I like Shakespeare too." Mary nodded towards the hidden book. "What play are you reading?"

Maria looked much calmer, even a little hopeful, and brought the book back into view. Her fingers played with the bookmark that she still had in her hand as she answered. "I'm reading King Leer. It's my fifth time, I think."

Mary sat down next to Maria and laughed a little. "I have to admit that King Leer is one of my favorite plays of all time. Every time you read it, you learn something new about humanity."

"Like how creepy old men can get?" Maria asked with a shudder of disgust. She marked the page with a simple white bookmark and carefully sat the book down next to her, well away from the water's edge.

Mary laughed and shook her head. "Well yes that, but also how temptation can so easily steal a person's heart and make it black." She looked sadden for a moment but recovered with a small smile. "There's always a chance for redemption though. People just have to grasp it. King Leer unfortunately, didn't see it until it was far too late."

Maria considered the other woman's words for a minute. She nodded in agreement as she glanced back down at the copy, making sure that it did not grow legs and leap into the waters below it. "I never thought of it like that before." She looked back at Mary with a slight frown. "What if a person believes that he must be redeemed but in reality he does not?"

Mary's eyebrows furrowed as she adopted a small pout, trying to understand what Maria was asking her. In the end, she gave up. "I'm sorry but can you explain a bit further?"

Maria looked down at her lap where her hands rested for a moment and then back at Mary. The older woman noticed out of the corner of her eye that Maria had begun playing with her wedding ring. "What if someone believes that they have done something wrong and seeks to be redeemed, but what they were doing wasn't wrong after all?"

Mary nodded to show that she understood Maria's question. She mulled over the possible answers in her head before she found the right one. She held it in the back of her mind as she asked, "Have you told this person that you think whatever it is they are doing is not wrong?"

"Yes but he won't listen to me," Maria said, her fingers stilling on the tenth turn of her wedding ring. She looked down sadly at it. Realizing what she was doing, Maria looked back up, a small blush covering her cheeks.

The sudden change made Mary grin with sympathy. "Then maybe you should just be there for that person," Mary said gently. "One day, he will realize that you are right and that he had nothing to fear. Until then, give them your support."

Maria seemed relieved at the answer. She got up and plucked the book from the fountain's ledge and tucked it under her arm. She held out a hand that Mary accepted with a smile. "Come on," Maria said. "Let's go have the best food you ever tasted."

Mary lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't anyone warn you not to make a promise that you cannot keep?"

The unspoken challenge brought a smirk to Maria's lips. "As a matter of fact, several people have. Now let's have the best food you ever tasted," she repeated as she started to walk away still holding Mary's hand.

Mary responded with a light laugh and the two women set off. Mary noticed that Maria seemed to have a little bounce in her step that was absent the day before. She wondered for a moment whether she had anything to do with it but quickly dismissed the thought. Maria probably had talked to Manolo and smoothed over an argument they surely had.

Maria stopped walking and waited for Mary to catch up with her. They were looking at a house-turned-restaurant that had bright red walls with a blue sign that read, "La Comida." Mary rolled her eyes at the unoriginal name although she was smiling a bit at its simplicity. There were circular tables of various sizes set up outside and most were filled with families or couples. Mary and Maria sat down at one of the smaller tables that had a good view of the market place next to the restaurant. They watched people bustle about buying this and that until a waiter came and brought them water.

"So Mary," Maria said as the waiter left to tend to a family a few tables away. "What did you do before coming San Angel?"

Mary smiled as she took a sip from her glass. "It wasn't anything really extravagant. I would probably bore you to death if I said anything," she added with a little laugh. She was buying time and she almost kicked herself for not thinking about the answer sooner. It should have been obvious that Maria would question what she did for a living.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you wouldn't bore me  _that_ much." A slim eyebrow was raised as Maria adopted a small pout. "You weren't doing anything bad were you?"

"Of course not." Mary let out an exaggerated sigh that caused Maria to giggle. "Okay fine, I was a museum guide."  _Not a total lie,_ she added in her head. Her stomach tightened with guilt and she took another sip of water to cool the feeling.

Maria's eyes lit up as if Mary had just told her she was a secret treasure hunter in search of the Medal of Everlasting Life. Although, she doubted that Maria would approve of that certain quest. "You were a museum guide!? Where? What was the museum's specialty? Did you display any art there?"

Mary did not expect the sudden rush of energy from the other woman. She suddenly realized that she should have picked another occupation as she scrambled to think up plausible answers. She took another sip of her water to buy herself some more time as she shrugged. "I worked for the museum in the town I lived in before moving here. Please don't ask me where, I rather not think about it," she said hastily when Maria looked like she was just about to ask that exact question. Mary shrugged again and ran her finger across the glass's rim. "We didn't really have a specialty, we had a little this and a little of that," she answered lamely.

She saw that Maria was slightly disappointed in the answers she got so she quickly added, "Although, we did have a lot of sculptures and other works of art."

Maria's attitude instantly changed. Excitement was bright in her eyes as she smiled. "Really?"

It looked like she was about to ask another series of questions when the waiter came back to their table. Maria seemed even a little sulky at being delayed asking Mary's questions. She nodded when the nervous-looking man asked if they were ready to order. "We'll have the steak fajitas with your famous salsa on the side, thank you," she said briskly to the man.

Mary raised her eyebrows at Maria's behavior towards the waiter. She attempted to revive the easy-going atmosphere they had before. "Ordering food for me now? Are you sure this is not a date?"

Maria sputtered and choked on the water she was drinking. She coughed for a minute as she flushed in embarrassment when people turned around in their seats to see what the commotion was about. They quickly went back to their meals. "What!?" she asked Mary hoarsely.

Mary passed her some napkins as she helped clean up the mess Maria had made. "Sorry, bad joke." She looked at Maria in concern. "Why were you so cold to that man?"

Maria frowned and glanced at the direction the waiter had taken when he left them. "He was watching us from across the room."

Mary gave a laugh. "Is that all?"

Maria shook her head and glared at her now half empty cup. "He looked as if this was his first time ever seeing a woman. And I have no doubt that the thoughts forming in his head are not appropriate at all"

"And the fact that he interrupted your little interrogation had nothing to do with it?" Mary rested her chin on her palm and laughed when Maria's face was once again flushed with embarrassment.

"I wasn't interrogating you!" A slowly raised eyebrow caused the blush to spread further on Maria's cheeks as she pouted. "I was just curious." She took a drink of water and managed not to choke on it. "I've been to museums in Arroba and I was wondering if yours was any different," she explained.

Mary nodded in understanding. "Well I doubt we had anything that could compare with the museums of Arroba. We do have a rather interesting looking bull sculpture. The children love it but I have to remind some from time to time not to touch it."

"Really? Did your museum focus a lot on matadors?" Maria's eyes darkened just enough for Mary to notice.

"Not specifically. We do have a section for Mexican heritage. It's very beautiful and colorful. We even have a wall made up entirely of skulls."

Maria looked entirely engrossed with the conversation. Her eyes widened on the last statement. "Were they real?" she whispered, as if asking too loud would cause the owners of the skulls to rise up and complain about their headlessness.

Mary shrugged. "I don't know, I never asked."

Before either woman could make another comment, the waiter returned with their food. Now that she was aware of it, Mary could see the young man did indeed stare at them from across the restaurant, making the irritated looking woman snap her fingers twice so he could resume taking her order.

They ate some of the food in silence. Mary made an appreciative sound. "This really is good."

"I told you I kept my promises," Maria grinned as she ate some of her own fajita. "This is the best food you can get anywhere."

"I wouldn't say  _that_."

Maria looked genuinely surprised. "You've had better food somewhere else?"

Mary grinned and took a sip of her water to wash down the food. "You can say that. So, what are the museums like in Arroba?"

Maria grinned as she looked out into the streets with a far away expression on her face. "Wonderful. They were so full of art and sculptures. They even had an exhibit for aspiring artists to display their artwork and have the public critique it." Her grin grew. "I once displayed a painting I did and the museum paid me so they could keep it."

"Wow. You must be really gifted."

Maria shrugged at the comment, but her eyes lit up at the praise. "I draw on my free time but my real passion is in books. Especially fantasy and folklore."

"What's your favorite lore?" Mary was enjoying herself immensely and was a bit shocked at how easy it was to talk to Maria.

Maria thought for a few moments, her fingernails tapping on the table as she rattled off folklore tales in her head. "I guess I will have to say how Xibalba and La Muerte came to rule their respective realms."

And just like that, Mary was regretting ever agreeing to allow Maria to take her to the restaurant. She took another bite from her fajita and noticed that it was far less appetizing than a minute ago. "Oh really," she said in a hopefully interested tone. "What do you know about the myth?"

Maria seemed to notice the sudden shift in Mary's voice. Her eyebrows came together in concern as she studied the other woman but nevertheless answered the question. "Xibalba and La Muerte used to rule both realms together but Xibalba had grown tired of the shared crowns. He wanted to rule the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten by himself. Realizing that her husband meant to upset the balance, La Muerte banished Xibalba to the Land of the Forgotten for all of eternity."

Mary hummed noncommittally and stabbed at her steak fajita with a little too much pressure than necessary. "Actually, Xibalba had made a wager with La Muerte and he cheated. As punishment, La Muerte banished Xibalba from her side." She released a sigh as she looked out into the streets and away from Maria.

Maria frowned and looked down at her half eaten food. Like Mary, it was far less appetizing than a moment ago. She had no idea why Mary was acting like this so suddenly. She glanced back up as her brain scrambled for a topic for them to talk about. "Do you know what the wager was about?"

Mary jumped, seemingly forgetting where she was. She looked back at the other woman with a half-hearted smile. "Probably something so stupid that both gods forgot what it was." It was a downright lie, but she could never reveal that secret to Maria.

The younger woman frowned at that. "If it was so stupid why didn't La Muerte ask Xibalba to be with her and end the banishment?"

"She was still angry with him, although" Mary added with a soft laugh that had a tinge of sadness entwined with it. She played with her food absentmindedly as she continued, "she has thought about it quite a lot. Every time she thought about of asking him, she got scared of the idea that he might try to upset the balance again." She glanced at Maria. "I guess her fears were well founded after all."

Maria was taken aback by the honesty that rang in Mary's words. After a while she said in a quiet voice. "You talk about them as if they were normal people instead of gods."

Mary gave a genuine laugh at that.  _For very good reason Maria,_ she said in her head. "They are gods but I like to think that they feel the same as us. That they feel joy and anger and pain and fear… and even betrayal. For a god to feel no emotions whatsoever would be quite dangerous, don't you think?"

Maria nodded after a moment. "True. I guess nobody really took the time to get to know them, huh?"

"Not a lot of people do." Mary stopped trying to pretend to be interested in her food and pushed the plate away from her. "Let's stop talking about unpleasant things. Tell me what your painting was about."

Maria offered a small smile. "It was a landscape piece of San Angel at sunset."

"Is that all?" Mary teased.

"It was very good! Good enough the museum's Art Department wanted it."

"Did the Art Department buy any other works of art from you?"

Maria shook her head. "No, but they did pay one of my classmates a lot of money for her sculpture." A light blush covered her cheeks. "It was a nude statue of herself."

Mary burst out laughing and a few seconds Maria joined her. The conversation of La Muerte and Xibalba was completely forgotten as Maria told her how the classmate had to draw pictures of her nude body in front of a mirror before even starting on the statue.

"Wait, wait," Mary got out as she wiped away tears of mirth from her eyes. "How long did it take her for finish her project?"

"Almost a year! One of the nuns caught her making the statue and had her destroy it and her drawings. She had to start over from scratch and hide the statue in her closet before it was done. I have no idea how she got it out of the dormitory without any nuns catching her."

Mary giggled and sobered a bit. "Well with that kind of dedication, she deserved the money she was paid." She grinned and once again rested her chin against her palm. "You seem a lot happier than yesterday."

Maria chuckled as she took a sip of her water. "Something good happened last night. My friend asked for my help about something he should have a long time ago."

"Is this the same friend you mentioned at the fountain today?"

Maria hesitated for a moment to nod. "Yeah, he is."

Mary studied Maria closely as she asked, "Is it Manolo?"

The other woman's eyes widened in shock for but a second, but Mary caught it. "No, it was another friend of mine." She looked out towards the town hall and read the time. "Oh no, it's getting late. I should probably go. No, I got it" she pulled out some money and placed it on the table when Mary was reaching into her pocket.

Both Maria and Mary stood up, the former much more quickly. "Maria, if it was something I said-"

"No, no. I just forgot that I'm needed at the orphanage."

"On a Saturday?" If there was a single doubt in Mary's mind that Maria was trying to get away from her, it was now gone.

Maria glanced away as she tuck a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Yes, one of the children is having trouble with grammar and I promised that I would tutor him today." The lie was so terrible that Maria waited for Mary to call her out on it.

Instead, Mary nodded. "I understand," she said with a soft smile. "Have a good day Maria."

The other woman returned the smile hesitantly. "You too." She quickly walked away from the restaurant in the direction of the orphanage.

Mary watched as Maria went, a frown tugging at her lips. "What are you hiding from me?" she wondered aloud. Something strange was happening between Manolo and Maria, and if Mary had any hope of helping their marriage, she had to find out what it was.


	4. Please, tell me the truth

Mary walked with determination in her step. She paid no attention to the happenings around her, her eyes focused right in front of her, never wavering. The small wooden basket was held tight in her grip, the delectable aroma of baked cookies drifting up and calming the woman slightly. She worried that the cookies would not taste good as she hoped, she had not baked in over a century if she recalled correctly. Mary let out a small chuckle as she remembered the look on Carmen's face as she asked Manolo's mother to teach her how to make cookies. The first five attempts were disastrous to say the least but Mary thought that this batch came out fairly well.

The orphanage came into sight, just as worn down as the last time she had seen it. Mary took a deep breath and ran over the small speech she had worked on in her head once more before walking into the building. She was careful with opening the door, wincing as it creaked so loud that Mary feared that it finally broke.

Immediately, sounds of children running throughout the orphanage and playing flooded her ears. She found herself smiling despite the nerves running rampant in her body. She skillfully walked around the playing children; all the while making sure none of her goodies were stolen or fell out of her basket.

Mary saw a nun trying unsuccessfully to calm the children surrounding her. She beckoned the nun with her free hand and the nun walked over to her, bumping into some of the orphans with every step. None of the children seemed to notice, they all continued to laugh and run around.

"May I help you with something senorita?" the nun asked with a smile. The smile reached her tired eyes but only just, and she had to tuck several grey strands back under her habit. She glanced at the two children that just ran past her, both apologizing before sprinting down the hallway. She watched them with a small smile and turned back to face Mary. "I apologize for the children. They are very high-spirited. I'm sure you know that yourself."

Mary blushed and shook her head. "I never had the pleasure."

The nun's smile turned a little downcast as she nodded in understanding. "There is always still time though. Oh, I forgot, is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes please, I am looking for Maria Posada." Maria held up the basket of baked goods. "I thought that she wanted a little treat for all the hard work she's done."

The nun gave an approving nod. "She does deserve a little guilty pleasure." She gestured to the far end of the hallway. "Go up the staircase at the end of this hallway. Her classroom is the third on the right."

Mary gave her thanks and walked away, chuckling as the nun resumed trying to tame the hyper children, with little result. She did as the nun instructed and leaned against the doorway as she observed Maria's classroom.

The first thing that she noticed was that the children were much better-behaved than the group with the nun. They all sat in their seats and stared in rapt attention at the woman in front of the room. Maria was currently writing math problems on the blackboard, giving a hint of how to find the answer every now and again. Mary saw with a frown that the board looked to be old as the rest of the building and the seats the children were in even older. She was surprised that some of them did not break right then and there with the amount of chips in the legs.

Still, Maria was grinning as she turned to look back at her class, not realizing she had a guest. "Okay class, what is the answer to this problem?" She pointed at the first equation and several hands shot up in the air. She nodded to one girl with pigtails and a toothy grin.

"5 Profesora Posada."

Maria's grin grew wider as she nodded. "Correct Alexandra!" She turned to write the answer on the board. She caught sight of Mary who gave a little wave. Maria grinned at her and looked back at the class. "Finish the rest of the questions on the board and check answers with the person next to you." The sounds of pencils scribbling on paper and whispering filled the room as Maria joined Mary outside of the classroom.

"What are you doing here?" Maria asked, her eyes a little wary and her arms crossed.

Mary held up the basket with a small smile. "I came to apologize. For the day before when I upset you."

Maria tilted her head to the side and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What makes you think that I was upset about yesterday?" Her voice suggested that she was not in a forgiving mood at all.

Mary rolled her eyes at the tone and decided to simply say what she thought. "Because you left suddenly and you lied about why."

To her surprise, Maria actually looked a little embarrassed. "I- uh" her shoulders relaxed in defeat as she uncrossed her arms. "I should be the one to apologize, I should have acted more mature than that." She glanced back into the room. "I suppose that their immaturity is rubbing off on me." Even though the words themselves could be considered accusatory, Mary knew that Maria cared for the children and their antics deeply.

The older woman only shrugged. "I think even adults are entitled to act a little childish every once in a while."

Once again Maria narrowed her eyes but they were filled with humor. "I was not acting like a child."

Mary smirked as she chuckled. "Whatever you say Maria." She held up the basket of goodies and Maria took them. "For the children and you if you like," she explained.

Maria accepted the basket with a smile and looked back at the classroom. Most of the children were already checking their answers. She looked back at Mary. "Do you want to help me with them until my lesson ends? We can go for dinner afterwards. My treat."

The redhead grinned and nodded. "Of course." Together, they walked back into the classroom. Maria took back her spot in the front of the class with Mary sitting on the chair at the teacher's desk. She noticed that the desk was the same level of aged neglect as the rest of the classroom, but it seemed like someone had tried very hard to make the dark wood shine again.

Maria pulled everyone's attention back to her. "Class, I want you to say hello to my friend Mary Beth. She's going to help me till the end of class so I want you to give her the same respect you show me."

Mary watched as Maria continued to teach the students math and was stunned with how much the younger woman knew. She taught the subject with such ease and when a child was confused by something, she was able to explain each step effortlessly.

After another ten minutes, Maria erased the backboard and began to write sentences explaining the history of Cinco de Mayo. Students wrote notes in dutiful silence, occasionally asking a question on a specific date. Mary wondered why Maria wanted her to come inside to help when she obviously had everything under control. She grinned when Maria asked a child who was whispering to a friend what she just said. The child blushed in embarrassment while the class chuckled at his lack of stealth and redoubled his effort in taking studious notes.

Before she knew it, Maria erased the black board once again. "Okay class, I want you to write a paragraph on why the battle of Cinco de Mayo was important. I expect the paper back tomorrow. There are cookies at the front for you to take, only take one! Have a good night."

The children all rushed to the basket of cookies and then left, each one calling a "Good night" to Mary and Maria. Mary released a relieved sigh when the children smiled as they ate their cookies. She made a good batch, not the best, but good enough that none of the children gagged and throw away the treats. Maria grinned at Mary who took the basket. As fate would have it, there were two cookies left. She handed one to Maria and nibbled on the last one. It wasn't as amazing as Carmen's baked goods but it still made her mouth water.

"What are you in the mood for?" Mary asked as she finished her cookie long after Maria.

Maria thought for a little bit, swaying back and forth on her heals as she tried to figure out what was a good place to eat that was not overcrowded by now. "Do you like tacos?"

Mary grinned and nodded. "That sounds delicious. Let's go before all the good seats near the windows are taken."

They set off to the restaurant with Maria leading. It was near six o'clock according to the town hall's clock. Many young couples and groups of friends were out and about, talking about this and that. Mary noticed that Maria continually glanced at the groups of people as if she was trying to find someone in particular. She wondered for a moment if she was searching for Manolo when Maria looked down at her wedding ring.

They finally arrived at the restaurant and took a table near the window. The waiter took their order and gave them water as they waited. Their conversation was a little more strained than the day before, however they managed to make the other laugh occasionally. When the food finally came, the words came more easily to both women as they commented on how good the tacos were. It did not hurt that they ordered red wine with their dinner and were on their second glasses.

"How long have you been working at the orphanage?" Mary asked as she finished off her food and waited for the waiter to come around.

Maria chuckled. "Only a year but it feels a lot longer. I love it there, although it could definitely use some renovations," she said with a sad frown. The frown dissolved into a gentle grin. "The children make it all worth it though."

Mary nodded at the answer and took a sip of the wine. She already started to feel the effects of the alcohol as she grinned at the other woman. She giggled, "Didn't you say that the age added some character?"

"I did," Maria admitted with a slight frown, "but still, it becomes a safety hazard to the children whenever a storm hits it." She swirled the contents in her glass before taking a good size gulp of it. "Very good choice by the way. I've never been that into wine before so I don't know what's good and what's not."

Mary shrugged away the compliment. "A good rule of the thumb is that the older a wine is, the better it usually tastes." She took a sip and refilled her glass, frowning when she realized that she and Maria had already drunk half of the bottle's contents. "But whenever you can, always go for the red wine. I found that they have a more exotic taste than white wine."

Maria nodded and committed the words to memory. The waiter came back and they paid the check before leaving. Mary giggled as Maria's stride stumbled a little bit. The younger woman glared halfheartedly at her for the laugh but did not say anything. They stopped when they arrived at the main fountain in the middle of town square and looked up at the sky. The full moon twinkled down at them and provided enough light for them to see clearly down the road without the street lamps.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Maria asked.

Mary hummed in agreement as she gazed at the moon. She looked back down at Maria. "Why were you looking at the people we walked past this afternoon?"

Maria seemed confused at the question and it took her a moment to realize Mary wanted an answer. She gave a quick shrug. "I wanted to see if someone I knew was out."

"Was it Manolo?" Perhaps it was the three glasses of wine (or was it five?) that made the older woman want to know what was going on in Maria's head with an eagerness she did have before. All she knew was that she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

Maria shook her head so swiftly that her pony tail whipped around. "What makes you think that?" she asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"You looked at your wedding ring more than once," Mary said with an air of importance.

The younger woman huffed and crossed her arms under her chest. Knowing that this meant Maria was angry, Mary held up her hands in surrender, forgetting that she was holding the basket in her right. She quickly bent to pick it up, and when she straightened her back she realized that Maria was already walking away from her.

She caught up with her and grabbed her arm to force her to stop moving. "Wait, Maria."

Maria whirled around and Mary let go of her arm in shock. She was surprised to see so much anger on her face. "Will you stop trying to butt into my marriage?" Maria snapped. "What's it to you anyway?" There was something more in Maria's eyes besides anger, there was fear.

Mary shrugged and almost blurted that she had a bet with another god. She managed to keep her mouth shut though and said in a whisper, "You just seem angry with him and I want to help. Trust me," she said with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Maria scoffed and continued to glare at Mary. "Why do you care? You barely know me and I you. How can you possibly expect me to trust you?" Mary recognized the same desperation she felt in Maria's voice.

Mary did not answer the question at first. She frowned as she tried to come up with a reason for Maria to trust her and if she were to be completely honest, she did not have one. She looked up at Maria who still waited for an answer. "Maybe you just need a stranger to talk to, someone who doesn't know you very well and can't judge you."

Maria paused for a long time, so much that Mary wondered if she was going to start walking away again right then and there. The younger woman heaved a great sigh and turned around. She marched to the fountain and sat down at the ledge, looking expectantly at Mary. Mary offered a small smile and followed Maria's lead, sitting down next to her.

Maria looked down at her joined hands resting on her lap. She glanced back up at the moon with a sad grin. "Manolo sang to me during a full moon. I was leaning against my balcony's railing while the three Mariachi Brothers helped him up so he could look at my face. It was very romantic and all he wanted was for me to kiss him." She chuckled and this time a little bit of humor crept into the laugh. "I didn't though. I made sure that he knew that a simple song was not enough for me to let him into my heart." Maria leaned closer to Mary and whispered as if she was about to reveal a big secret Mary had no right of knowing. "He lost his footing and ended up with the biggest of the brothers landing on him."

Mary giggled at the last statement and leaned against Maria. "What did he do afterwards?" She already knew the answer to that question but it seemed to be doing Maria good to talk about this.

"He proposed," Maria said softly, her eyes glued on the moon. "He asked me to meet him at the grand tree just outside of the village. He made a pathway of candles leading right to him and he sang about how he loved me. He told me that he couldn't give me anything except his love." She shook her head, "The god Xibalba heard and he made his two headed snake bite me once to force me into a sleep-like curse. After…. well you heard the rest of the story."

Mary nodded with a small frown. "Do you think that Manolo does not love you anymore?"

The younger woman released a bark of surprised laughter. "He does but," she paused, seeming to decide what to say, "he spends all of his time either with the Mariachi Brothers or in the bull ring." She looked down at the wedding ring for a moment. "I wish we had brought that bottle of wine with us," she said with a sigh.

Mary knew that there was more to the story than Maria was telling her but one glance told her that the younger woman was done talking about Manolo. She tried to think of new topics for them to talk about. When she found one, she leaned back on her hands and swung her legs back and forth as if they were on a simple outing. "Where's Chuy?"

Maria looked as if she were pulled from the depths of her own mind. She looked to right to see that the space usually occupied by her pet pig was empty. "He's at the house. Chuy isn't allowed inside the orphanage after some of the children tried to feed him their homework." Maria and Mary laughed at that. "He sometimes comes with me to walk to the orphanage but mostly he just waits for me to come home."

"Won't he be a little worried then? I did keep you for the entire day," Mary said with a chuckle.

Maria shrugged as she grinned, already forgetting the melancholy discussion of Manolo. "No, he knows that I have occasional dinners with the nuns."

Mary nodded. "What kind of books do you like?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject.

Maria shrugged again and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I do prefer classics and the ones with folklore. What about you?" she asked, turning her head to look at her friend.

"I like the same kind. Every now and again, I do love curling up with a good romantic novel of some pirate and princess. I rather doubt your nuns would approve of some of the … creative scenes in my novels." Mary laughed at Maria's now reddening face.

Maria slapped at Mary's shoulder halfheartedly, joining in the laughter a moment later. She hummed in content, "It's nice having someone who shares the love of books." She frowned, "Some of the other women make fun of me behind my back because I like to read and teach in my spare time."

Mary made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat. "They're just jealous that not only are you so beautiful to be called the jewel of the town, but you also have brains."

Maria's blush that recovered somewhat had gained back its redness as she glanced away.  _She's very pretty when she's blushing,_ Mary thought before she could help herself. She gave a start and shook her head to rid herself of such strange thoughts.  _I shouldn't have that much wine,_  Mary concluded.

Maria got up from the ledge and held out a hand to help Mary up. Mary took the hand with a grateful smile. Neither of the women noticed that they did not let go of either hand. "Well," Maria said with a note of regret, "I really have to get back to Chuy. Adios Mary." Maria gave Mary's hand the barest of squeezes before letting go and heading off into the direction of her home.

Mary watched the other woman walk away for a bit. She started to walk in the opposite direction before turning into a deserted alleyway in between two houses. Once she made sure no one was looking out of the windows, she waved a hand. La Muerte looked out of the dark alley and snapped her fingers. A cloud of marigolds circled around her and obscured the view of San Angel. When the flowers stopped moving, she saw that she was back in her castle in the Land of the Remembered.

She walked through the empty hallways toward her room in the heart of the castle. She hummed a random soothing tone to herself as she smiled. Already, several ideas were blooming in her head and she found herself excited to try each and every one of them.


	5. and I will repay the courtesy

La Muerte sighed as she sank deeper into her throne. She looked at the festive decorations that were painted on the walls of her castle with a dismissive eye. She sighed again and rested her head back against the plush headrest of her throne, closing her eyes in hopes of taking a nap. After ten minutes, however, sleep still avoided her and La Muerte growled under her breath.

She was completely and utterly bored. La Muerte could not think of one thing that she could do that would ease her boredom. Not in the Land of the Remembered anyway. There were endless fiestas, yes, and the lovely Sanchez family could entertain her and the residents with a bullfight, but she was not in the mood for either of those things. A fleeting image came across her mind of the bull incident that occurred two days ago. One of the Sanchez's, she suspected it was the Aztec matador Carmelo, had accidently released a piñata bull out of the ring while practicing. Luckily, no one was injured, although she had to use magic to restore one of the Rodriguez's family floats.

Another heavy sigh was released as she rested her chin on her closed fist, her elbow resting on the armrest. Her free hand twirled its fingers through the air as if playing in a still pool. A small cloud of marigolds flew about in response, twisting and swirling around in an intricate dance. This alleviated some of La Muerte's dull mind but still she felt a soft tugging at the back of her brain.

"What to do, what to do," she said softly to herself. She mused whether it would be truly wrong for her to send for Maria and take her to one of the fiestas. The idea was quickly thrown from her mind with an agitated groan. How could she forget that the younger woman only knew her as Mary Beth?

La Muerte looked to her left at the small table she had set up next to her throne. She reached out and gingerly grabbed the book resting on the golden surface. The book was a little old with a few dog eared pages here and there. Overall, it was quite unremarkable. La Muerte played with the cover of the book before opening it. There, on the first page, written in a large curvy font that read Moby Dick. Right under it was a small script that reads "Herman Melville."

The goddess grinned as she traced the cursive writing with the tip of her finger. The dead author was celebrating his one-thousandth year in the Land of the Remembered when she had asked for a signed copy. Melville was very gracious, if a little arrogant, when he provided a copy of his most famous book with unnecessary flourish. She had thanked him and set off to her castle before the author could ask her to stick around for the party.

La Muerte set the book back on the table. She tapped her fingernails against an armrest to a random rhythm. Finally, after another five minutes of total boredom, La Muerte got up out of her chair. She grabbed the book with a small grin and snapped her fingers once. A cloud of thousands of marigold petals bloomed out of the air and swirled around her.

When the marigold petals dissolved into nothingness, Mary Beth was standing right outside of San Angel's entrance. She looked up at the impressive stone arch, her eyes taking in the heart structure. She stroked her fingertips against one of the stone's pillars before making her way into the town.

Mary kept the book clutched in her hand as she strolled through the streets, her eyes scanning the people around her for a sign of bright brown eyes or a dark haired woman's ponytail. She strolled into the market place and saw Maria's husband, Manolo, talking to one of the market stand's owner.

She made her way over to the two and saw that Manolo was holding a bundle of beautiful flowers. A smile found its way on Mary's face as she walked closer to the man.

"And you're sure that these are the most beautiful flowers that you sell?" Manolo asked the old man who was looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"For the hundredth time, yes!" the owner growled. He glanced at Mary and his attitude changed instantly. "Ah, another customer! What can I offer such a breathtaking woman?" The old man made a show of presenting the flowers on his market stand.

Mary giggled and shook her head. "I'm not buying anything. I just wanted to say hi to Manolo." She ignored how the old man grumbled something like, "Then go away before you scare off potential customers." She smiled up at Manolo. "Hola Manolo," she said graciously.

If the man was trying to hide his shock, he was doing a terrible job. His eyes kept glancing into the street like he was considering making a run for it. The grip on his flowers increased until there was a very real possibility that he was squeezing the water out of the stems. "Hola Mary. How are you doing today?" His voice even spoke volumes of discomfort.

She raised an eyebrow at the strange display. "I'm doing very well, thank you." She studied Manolo as she nodded towards the flowers. "Are those for Maria?"

Manolo more jerked his head up and down rather than nod. "Y-yes of course they are! Who else could they be for?"

Mary could have sworn that even the old man sighed at Manolo's suspicious movements. "Oh, well that's good," she said in an unconvinced tone.

Manolo gave a weak smile that told Mary that he did not notice her distrustful tone. "Great! Well uh I got to go now so – uh – bye." He waved stupidly at Mary before hurrying away.

The old man stopped pretending that he was not eavesdropping and slapped the table of his stand. "Hey! You forgot to pay for those!"

Manolo hurried back with guilt in his eyes and placed a wad of cash without counting it before hurrying away again. The old man said nothing, he simply grabbed the money with a greedy smile. He looked at Mary and then at the retreating form of Manolo. "Young men don't know what they got until it's gone," he said without a note of sympathy in his voice.

Mary hummed in agreement as she glared at Manolo's back. Several thoughts were rummaging through her head for explanations for Manolo's odd behavior, each more unlikely than the last. She glanced at the old man who was putting his upmost effort in ignoring the young woman. She sighed and turned so she was facing the rude man.

"Can I please buy a marigold?" she asked.

The old man let out a grunt and practically threw a marigold at her without even looking at her. Mary paid for the flower with a small glare at the man before walking away. She looked down at the book still safely in her grasp.

Before she could think of a way to explain Manolo's behavior, besides the obvious reason, the rundown orphanage loomed over her. She saw the usual children running about and she weaved through them without a single scratch. They all seemed to remember her, even the ones that were not in Maria's class when she came to visit. They scurried around her and asked if she brought any more cookies. Mary grinned and promised them that the next time she came, she would bring them all enough goodies to fill their little tummies.

Once again, Mary found herself leaning against the door frame as she watched Maria teach another class. Like the one before, the children were quiet and paying their undivided attention. Maria tapped against the board, which was filled with sentences, each with a grammar error. The children dutifully wrote down the revisions of the sentences. Mary noticed that Maria had a sort of rigidness in her frame that she did not have the last time Mary saw her teach.

Maria glanced at the door and smiled when she saw Mary. She glanced back at the students and strolled over to the older woman. "Hola Mary," she said softly so as to not to distract the children.

Mary returned the grin and held out the marigold. "I saw this and I thought you might want it." She made sure that she kept the book behind her back so Maria could not see it.

Maria's grin widened when she took the flower graciously, her fingertips running across the velvety petals absentmindedly. "Why did you come here?" The rigidness in her stance seemed to melt away as she smelled the fragrance wafting off the flower.

The older woman shrugged, the book still hidden behind her back. "I wanted to apologize for that night a few days ago. I should have helped you to your house instead of allowing you to walk alone." She frowned, "If something had happened to you, it would have been my fault."

Maria was shocked at the amount of regret on the other woman's face. She quickly shook her head with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it! I should have more self-control, that's all. Besides, I know how to take care of myself." She seemed to have said the right thing, Mary looked a lot better. She finally noticed that one arm was behind Mary's back. "What do you have there?" she asked with a nod.

Mary almost shyly revealed the book and held it out so Maria could look at the cover. Maria took it and smiled when she saw what it was. "Thank you Mary, you really shouldn't have." An impish smile covered her face. "Although I already own a copy."

Mary only shook her head with a chuckle. "Open it."

Looking rather dubious, Maria did as she was told and frowned as she saw the small signature. She tilted her head to the side as she continued to look at the first page. "Someone wrote Melville's name on the page." Mary only nodded with a widened grin. Maria looked more confused as she glanced back down at the book in her hands. Slowly, comprehension drew on her face, as did excitement. "W-wait this isn't - " Mary grinned and nodded. "But it can't be," Maria whispered in awe.

"It is." Mary could not help the smugness that found its way into her voice.

Maria stared intently at the signature, a finger tracing the curves of the 'H' with a slight quiver. Mary noticed with amusement that the marigold was still safely in the other woman's hand, even if she seemed to forget that it existed. After a full minute, Maria looked up with a very soft smile, still in awe at such a gift. "Thank you, Mary. I don't think anyone has ever given me something so" she hesitated as she tried to find the right word, "meaningful."

Careful not to drop the book or the flower, Maria gave Mary a quick hug, whispering another thanks into her ear. When she pulled away, Mary noticed that some of the tension between the two of them had disappeared. Maria opened her mouth to say something but before she could, laughter erupted from the classroom. Both women glanced back into the classroom and saw one of the students had apparently fallen asleep and fell onto his head when he slipped out of his chair. Said student struggled to get back into his seat, a dazed look still in his eyes. Maria only rolled her eyes with a humor-filled smile, "Pedro, how many times have I told you that if you decided to go to bed before the crack of dawn, you might get through one class without falling out of your seat?"

Pedro grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. "More times than I can count Profesora Posada."

"Then perhaps we can work on counting higher next class."

"Sounds good Profesora," Pedro replied with a cheeky grin.

Again, Maria rolled her eyes and gently placed the book and flower on her desk before resuming teaching. Mary took the chair at the teacher's desk as she did before and again it seemed that she was not needed. She contented herself by simply watching Maria teach. After thirty minutes, Maria turned towards the class with a grin. "Because it is a Friday, you have no homework." She waited for the cheers to die down to continue, "But we are starting a new topic on Monday! We are going to discuss the myths and their origins and what they mean. Adios chicos!"

The children hurried away, some looking slightly disappointed at the fact that there was not a basket full of goodies on the teacher's desk. When the last student had filed out, Maria erased the blackboard. "So what do you want to do today?" Maria asked, inspecting the board to see if she missed a letter.

Mary shrugged and played with a chip in the desk absentmindedly. "I don't know. I just figured I pop by to give you your gifts and go back home."

"Well that's not very friendly," Maria said with a slight pout as she walked over to the desk. She picked up the marigold flower with a small grin which did not go amiss by Mary. "Didn't the museum teach you better manners?" Mary noticed that there was a mischievous glint in the younger woman's eyes.

Mary made a noncommittal gesture. "Yes, but I'm not a museum guide anymore, so I don't have to waste time acting as a proper lady should."

Maria's lips twitched into the smallest of grimaces before she schooled her features to appear amused. "I have to say that I was a little worried when I didn't see you anywhere in the past couple of days. I thought that I had run you off that night."

The older woman gave a start and stared at Maria who was picking at the petals of the flower nervously, not meeting her eyes. "Of course not! Why did you think that?" It did not go unnoticed from either woman that they were in this situation only a few minutes ago, however this time the roles were reversed.

The dark haired woman worried at her lip for a few seconds before answering. "I – uh. I don't exactly know what happened and I was worried that I –" a blush slowly formed on her cheeks, "said something inappropriate."

Mary glanced down at her lap and pondered what Maria could possibly mean. She shook her head as she realized that the other woman knew that they had argued but did not know what they said. "Oh, well we talked about Manolo and, um, you yelled at me for, uh, butting into business that I shouldn't concern myself about."

The blush grew on the younger woman's cheeks as her eyes widened in horror. Mary noted that there was also a singe of relief in them too but she did not question it. "Oh I'm so sorry Mary! I shouldn't have said that, I was a little bit drunk and I -"

Mary waved away the apology with a grin. "I know you were drunk but we made up. I think we talked about the kind of books we like. I was a little intoxicated so my memory is a little hazy but I definitely know we made up." It was a small white lie, but Maria did not need to know that Mary remembered everything in vivid detail.

Maria nodded, looking much more relaxed. She offered a small smile that lit up her eyes only a tiny bit. "So since I didn't run you off, do you like San Angel?"

The older woman grinned and nodded. "Mmhmm. I love it here. The town has a certain charm to it." She grinned and leaned back in the teacher's chair, "And the people are very interesting."

A blush spread across Maria's face but she began to pout a second later. "You're making fun of me," she accused Mary.

Mary smile only widened. A fleeting thought came across her head, She really is the jewel of the town. She shook her head to rid her of such strange notions. She concluded that it must have been the gift that made her playful.

She wondered for a moment whether this would be a good time to talk to Maria about Manolo since they were both in high spirits. She took a very deep breath. "Maria, I saw Manolo this morning." Maria looked very interested, her fingers stilling on the flower petal.

"He was buying flowers," Mary said cautiously. Maria's eyes widened a fraction in surprise and if Mary was not studying her, she would have missed it.

Maria cleared her throat. "Did he? Last night he said that he would get me something special." She gave a laugh that was far too high pitch to be convincing. "I guess you spoiled the surprise."

Mary raised an eyebrow and Maria almost fidgeted at the penetrating stare. After a minute she smiled a little, deciding to ignore the fact that Maria was obviously lying. "I did? Well, I'm sorry."

The other woman shrugged as if it was not a big deal. She resumed playing with the marigold although she was looking at Mary warily. Mary sighed in response and looked out of the window. An awkward silence fell over the two women.

"I have to go soon," Maria said abruptly. Mary looked quickly at the younger woman and watched as she got everything together, paying extra attention to the book and the flower so neither got wrinkled.

"Wait."

Maria stopped as if she had hit an invisible barrier. "What is it?" she asked with a guarded look in her eye.

"Next time you want to see me, have Chuy come find me. I won't be able to leave the house for a little bit while I get everything situated. I decided to stay."

The younger woman looked confused for a second. She turned around so she could fully face Mary. "Why can't you just tell me where you're staying?"

Mary blushed in embarrassment as she told another white lie. "I actually don't remember the exact address of my apartment."

This explanation only served to make Maria even more confused. "Then how will Chuy know where you live?"

Mary shrugged. "He could follow my scent."

"He is more dog than pig, huh?" Maria agreed with a giggle, the tension the conversation caused evaporating in an instant. "All right, next time I'll send Chuy to come and find you."

The older woman laughed. "I thought you trust me."

"I do, it's just a little weird that's all. Even by my standards." Maria smiled hopefully, "Adios Mary," she said as she turned to walk away.

"Adios Maria." Mary looked back out of the window and snapped her fingers once. La Muerte glanced back at the open door to make sure no one had happened to see her transformation. The goddess disappeared in a cloud of marigolds, reappearing back in her castle. She grasped one of the petals before all of them evaporated into thin air.

She studied the petal with a frown, her thumb skimming across the silky surface. She followed the transition of red to orange with her eyes as she sat back down on her throne. La Muerte sighed as she let go of the petal and watched it float down with the grace of a ballerina to the floor. "What are you hiding from me, Maria?" she asked to the empty castle.

La Muerte knew that she already asked such a question before, but she was no closer to getting any of the answers she desired. She was aware of a sinking feeling in her stomach as she rubbed circles on her temple to ease the headache forming at the back of her head. She knew that the key to saving Maria's marriage was to figure out what the woman was hiding and what she knew about Manolo's secret. She feared that she was not only going to lose the wager, but she was also going to lose a friend.


	6. I can't get you out of my mind

_How long will this take?_ La Muerte thought to herself as she sat sank deeper into her plush chair. She was watching the Sanchez family perform various dangerous acts in a bullfight. All around her, the residents of the Land of the Remembered cheered out as Carlos sidestepped a skeletal bull, the whiplash causing his clothes to flap about his body. He bowed to La Muerte as the bull tried to regain its footing. She gave a polite nod and watched with detached interest as the dance of death resumed.

It had been a week since she last visited Maria. She tried to keep herself busy by attending several fiestas but no matter how grand the party was, she found herself wishing to be back in the Land of the Living. As a last ditch effort to keep her mind from slipping to San Angel, she asked the Sanchezes to put together a bullfight for everyone to watch. If anything, the bullfight only made the goddess wish more than ever that she could escape her own realm.

Almost as if the mere thought conjured an antidote to her boredom, La Muerte felt a peculiar pulling on her consciousness. She frowned and tried to ignore it, redoubling her halfhearted effort to watch Carlos as he evaded the bull's horns again and again. The pulling persisted and grew the more she ignored it until it felt as if someone was tugging on her hair to get her attention.

Finally, with a soft growl under her breath, she began to pay attention to the strange sensation. The goddess almost started when she realized that she was being summoned. She glanced down at the bull ring and huffed in annoyance, there was no way she could escape without calling attention to herself.

La Muerte forced herself to relax against the chair as the tugging resumed, this time almost painfully. After ten minutes, Carlos and the bull bowed deeply to the applauding audience. She leaned forward into her chair as all the Sanchez bullfighters and the two twins, who managed to hold the goddess's attention longest with their amazing fireworks display, took a collected bow. La Muerte clapped along with everyone else.

Once the people of the Land of the Remembered began to file out of the stands, La Muerte snapped her fingers before anyone could notice her. Marigold petals flew around her and just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone without a trace.

Mary Beth walked out of the shadows of an extravagant tombstone. She glanced back at the coral marble, skimming her fingers across the smooth surface and igniting the unlit candles that surrounded the grave with a flick of her fingers.

A strange bark brought Mary's attention to her right. Chuy sat with a rather disgruntled expression on his face staring up at her. Mary patted his head and after a moment of hesitation, the pig stood up to press his face against the hand, encouraging the woman to scratch behind his ears. "I'm sorry that I made you wait, Chuy."

Chuy only gave a feeble grunt of annoyance.

Mary stopped scratching the pig's ears, much to Chuy's dissatisfaction, to look around. Nobody seemed to be in the cemetery she was summoned at, which relieved Mary. She knew that it would be quite difficult to explain how she appeared out of a tombstone that a pig was barking at a second before.

"Did Maria call for me, Chuy?" Mary asked.

Chuy gave an enthusiastic nod and promptly turned to point his snout east of where the cemetery was. He started to trot away, glancing behind his shoulder with a meaningful look in his eyes.

Mary nodded, realizing that she was meant to follow Chuy, and hurried after him. They walked for about thirty minutes before Chuy barked happily and ran up to a door to a beautiful mansion. She slowed down to a stop as the pig waited for her at the door's entrance patiently. The mansion looked extremely … familiar.

The house was undoubtedly one of the biggest and most expensive homes in San Angel, the handsome white marble making the mansion stand out of its wooden neighbors. But that was not caught Mary's attention. There was a balcony on one side of the house that overlooked the entire small town. Mary was looking at it as her brain hummed that she knew she saw it before, she just needed to recall where.

Mary gave a small sigh as she remembered why the balcony looked so familiar. It was the same balcony in which Manolo serenaded Maria. A sudden rush of feeling attacked Mary and she gasped at the intensity of it. She shook her head as she felt something bite into her heart but as quickly as the emotion came, it left with only a dull ache.

Before she could ponder what she felt and why, Chuy gave a low bark and pawed the door. She looked at the pig with a sheepish smile, knowing that Chuy knew that she was lost in her own thoughts. She walked over and knocked politely on the old door.

Chuy gave another low bark and pawed the door. Mary looked down with a shake of her head. "We can't just barge in, that would be entirely too rude."

Chuy stared at Mary as his leg rose and he tapped it against the wood once. He continued to stare expectantly at the woman until Mary gave a small exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine but if I get in trouble, I'm telling Maria that it was your fault."

Mary opened the door and took a cautious glance inside, making sure that none of the residents were just now turning a corner to let them in. She could have sworn that Chuy heaved his own sigh before running inside the mansion. He got to the center of the foyer before turning around, his eyes rolling when he saw that Mary was still technically outside.

Mary gave the outdoors one last longing glance before walking into the mansion. She looked around, very impressed with what she saw. Everything from the table situated in the middle of the room to the bare walls spoke of cleanliness and luxury. There was a glass door that led to an area in the back, undoubtedly used for banquets. She could see several tables piled behind the glass, each covered with a white sheet. There were two hallways on either side of the foyer, leading to different parts of the house. There a staircase to the right of the foyer carpeted with something that looked like red wool.

She walked deeper into the room as she eyed the two portraits hung beside the door she just entered. One was of General Posada and the other of Joaquin's father. The man looked more of a thug than hero in Mary's opinion but she will withhold her judgments if San Angel saw him as a person to be honored.

She heard a soft bay behind her, calling her attention back on to Chuy. He was currently sniffing the air with vigor, obviously trying to find something. He gave an excited bark as he trotted out of the right hallway of the room.

Sensing that she had no choice, Mary followed the pig. As they strolled down the seemingly endless hallway, she looked at the portraits of Maria's and Manolo's ancestors. She frowned when she noticed that the entire mansion seemed a little … empty. She shook away the feeling as Chuy stopped in front of old looking double doors.

Mary opened one of them and Chuy scurried past her with a grateful bark. She took a peek inside and saw that Chuy had led her to a giant library. There must be a thousand books sitting on shelves that surrounded the walls. She walked into the room and saw that there were several couches in the middle of the room, and resting on one was Maria.

Maria did not seem to notice that she had guests; she was far too absorbed in her book. Mary grinned when she saw that it was the book she had given the younger woman a week prior. She coughed under the breath and chuckled when Maria gave a yelp of surprise.

"M-Mary, what are doing here?"

"Didn't you call for me?" Mary asked, still grinning.

Maria nodded and carefully placed the book next to her. "Yes, but I wasn't expecting you until the afternoon."

"It is afternoon," Mary said gently.

The younger woman's eyes widened as a light blush covered her cheeks. She gave an embarrassed laugh as she smoothed down imaginary creases in her dress, "Oh, I'm sorry! I was reading and I guess I lost track of time."

The older woman simply waved away the apology. "I would be concerned if you didn't lose yourself in that book. It's very good," she said.

"Thank you again for it," Maria said, relieved that Mary did not think ill of her for not realizing what time it was. She stood up and Mary noticed that the blush did not soften and she took a deep breath. "I called you because I wanted to know if you like bullfights and if you would like to go with me to see one today?"

It took Mary a moment to figure out what Maria asked as the younger woman spoke so quickly as if the words would become extinct if she did not voice them in one second. "Actually, I never have -" she saw the disappointment growing in Maria's face, "been to a bullfight before," she hastily said. Another little white lie but it was for a good cause. 

The disappointment on Maria's face changed to one of hopefulness in a heartbeat. She grinned and stood up, causing Chuy to bark happily. Maria gave the book the older woman had gifted her one final glance, her fingertips brushing the cover like it was made of the finest silk. She walked over to Mary and held out an arm, still grinning widely. "You're going to love it," she said.

The excitement was contagious. Mary found herself smiling as she accepted Maria's arm. She was unsure why she was so happy, a moment ago she would have given everything to escape a bullfight. The two walked out of the library with Chuy trotting alongside them. Maria glanced down at the pig as they reached the door that led outside of the mansion and went to grab a blue leash. Chuy seemed a little disgruntled as Maria clipped it on but he smiled a second later.

They left the mansion and strolled over to the town's arena. Mary noticed that many of the town's residents were also heading in that direction. Most of them glanced at the three and whispered excitedly to each other. Mary caught words like "marriage" and "trouble." It seemed that she was not the only one who sensed the struggles in Maria's and Manolo's relationship.

Maria did not spare any of the gossipers any notice, although Chuy gave a low growl. She tightened her arm around Mary's, not enough to hurt the older woman, and lifted her chin as she walked briskly away. Mary gave Maria a concerned glance and whispered low enough so only the other woman can hear. "Do you want to head back? We can read instead of going to the bullfight."

Maria shook her head with a soft smile. "No, they can say whatever they want about me, I don't really care. Besides, Joaquin is dying to meet you."

Mary nodded, smiling as well. The rest of the trek was in silence and soon the massive arena loomed in front of them. Mary made a start to go into the stands but Maria gave her arm a small tug. The younger woman pointed at the balcony seating, "We'll get a better view there. And, look, Joaquin is already here!"

Indeed, San Angel's hero was seated in the wooden balcony. He looked apprehensive, his fingers never stop stroking his mustache or playing with his various medals. Mary was a little confused by the behavior but quickly put it out of her mind as Maria lead her to the door to the balcony.

Joaquin stood up as the door behind him opened and Maria and Mary entered. He gave the younger woman a smile and nod; however both were a little shaky. "Hola Maria," he said, taking off his sombrero. He held out his hand for Mary to shake. "And who might you be?" he asked, giving her a crooked smile.

Mary took his hand, noting how the man's was a little clammy, and shook it. "Hola, I'm Mary Beth. Maria was so gracious to invite me to see Manolo's bullfight."

At the mention of Maria's husband's name, Joaquin's eyes darted to Maria, who suddenly became very interested in the arena's bullring. His eyes returned to Mary and nodded. "I see," he said, "well Maria is quite the generous woman."

Maria snorted at that. "Come on Joaquin, it's just one bullfight, and Mary's a friend of mine." She looked down at the arena and sat up straighter in her chair, "Speaking of which, it looks like it's about to start." It did not go amiss to Mary that there was a great amount of relief in Maria's voice.

Mary sat down next to Maria and Joaquin took back his seat. She glanced at the man and saw that his eyes were glued on the bullring and he was chewing his bottom lip with nervous vigor.

Manolo walked out into the middle of the bullring, waving at the audience with the hand that was not carrying the red cape. When he saw the balcony and those in it, he gave a deep bow. "I dedicate this bullfight to my lovely wife!" The crowd, even those who were whispering behind Maria's back, all nodded with approve at Manolo's declare.

It might have been Mary's imagination, but she could have sworn that Maria grimaced but for a second and Joaquin glance away shamefully.

Before she could ponder it, she heard loud banging coming from the bullring. She looked back and saw that it also caught the attention of Manolo. He turned so he faced the door that held the bull, which was causing the banging noise as he tried to get out. Manolo laughed at the noise and spoke up so he could be heard above the crowd, "Let this bullfight begin!"

As the last word left his mouth, the door burst open and the bull rushed out into the arena, giving a mighty roar as it charged Manolo. Once again Manolo laughed and sidestepped away from the horns of the bull. The bull roared and tried again to find purchase in the man who swung the red cape as if it were a flag. And it charged again. And again. And again. Each time it got too close to Manolo, the matador would step away and lead the bull into an ever tighter circle.

Soon, Manolo had the bull stumbling from dizziness and by the time it could stand without threat of falling over, Manolo had walked to the other side of the bullring. The beast shook its mighty head and tensed its body. It sprang at the bullfighter with all of its might, roaring its battle cry. The entire crowd was silent and on the edge of their seats, following the bull's charge with fearful eyes. Joaquin even let out a little gasp and clenched his sombrero in his grip so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Manolo waited until the last possible second before jumping out of the way to the right. The bull, however, expected the move and swerved his head to the side. The tip of its horn found purchase in the matador's side, and everyone leapt to their feet in horror as the sound of ripping clothes and flesh filled the air. The bull stood over the kneeling Manolo as if it did not understand why there was now blood decorating the sand. Joaquin had his twin swords out in a flash and jumped out of the balcony, racing down the steps and leaping over the barrier that separated him from the bull. He charged at the bull, giving a battle cry of his own, his swords raised high to be brought down.

Before he could reach the bull however, strong hands pulled him to the side. He whirled around to punch whoever dare stopped him from attacking the bull. Manolo kept his grip on Joaquin's shoulders even when one of the blades was brandished in his face.

"Stop Joaquin!" Manolo cried as he wrestled a sword from the hero's grip. "It was my fault, I was supposed to jump to the left!" He moved so he was in between Joaquin and the bull.

The bull did not take this opportunity to finish Manolo off. Instead, it pawed the ground and sniffed at the spots of blood on the sand. It let out a low whine and lifted its head to sniff at the wound it gave the matador. It eyed the sword Manolo was carrying and once again let out a low whine before taking a few steps away, his head lowered so that the horns scraped the sand.

Manolo glanced back and slowly patted the bull's snout. "It is okay my friend," he said kindly. He dropped the sword in the sand and faced the bull. He held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

Joaquin slowly lowered his own blade and watched the bull's every shift. If it made any sudden movements, he would make sure that it would be its last.

The matador looked around at the still quiet crowd. He raised his hands higher and gave the people a wave. "It is okay everyone, I am completely fine!"

The effect was immediate. The crowd cheered their relief in a standing ovation with Mary and Maria leading it. Joaquin sheathed his two blades, having scooped up the one on the ground, and clapped, still eyeing the bull apprehensively. Even the bull seemed relieved at the news. It lifted its head to look fully at the matador, stamping its hooves in the sand as a way of celebrating.

Manolo, with one hand on the bull's side and the other covering his wound, bowed deeply. Mary saw that the matador clenched his side as he and the bull walked out of the arena. She glanced over to Maria and saw her sitting down and fanning herself with her hand. "So Mary," the younger woman said weakly, "how did you like your first bullfight?"

Mary shook her head and sat down as well. "That was very," she shook her head with a small chuckle, "exciting." She swallowed through the lump in her throat. "Is it always like this?"

"No," Maria replied, still fanning herself, "there have been close calls before but the bull never managed to get him like this." She nodded towards the arena where Joaquin was only now leaving. "I'm surprised Joaquin acted so quickly though."

"Has he ever done this before?" Mary asked.

Maria shook her head, "No but he's always worried about the bullfights. Joaquin even once told me that he wishes he still has the Medal of Everlasting Life so he could give it to Manolo." She gave a genuine laugh, "You should have seen Manolo's face. He started a huge lecture on how that medal caused all this misfortune and how he should never wish for that medal to come into their hands ever again, or anyone's for that matter." She nudged Mary's side and stood up. "Come on, there's a party and I don't want to go alone."

Mary nodded and followed Maria and Chuy out of the balcony. They lost one another in the crowd but Mary need not worry that she would get lost, it seemed that everyone was heading to the same party.

It turned out that the party was back at Maria's mansion. She walked inside and saw the entire place changed. Festive banners were hung from the ceiling and the tables she spotted from the back side of the house earlier were moved so they covered most of the floor. The mariachi brothers were playing a merry tune as couples danced in an open space next to them. On the other side of the room was a long table filled with all kinds of food. She spotted Chuy helping himself to the party's small sandwiches, much to the disapproval of the nuns standing near him.

Mary looked for Maria and saw that the younger woman was talking to Manolo. The matador seemed perfectly fine, save for the white bandage covering his lower left side. He laughed at something Maria had said and patted his side with a slight wince. Joaquin walked over to the couple with a plate filled to the brim with different fruits. Manolo took some grapes off of Joaquin's plate. Joaquin did not seem to mind, he offered some food to Maria as well.

Maria shook her head and spotted the older woman on the other side of the room. She gestured for her to join them with a smile. Mary strolled over and nodded towards Manolo's bandage. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Manolo glanced at his wound with a shrug. "I'm just grateful that it isn't that deep, it could have been a lot worse," he added with a glare when Joaquin scoffed. The hero of the town looked down at his food with a grimace. Manolo only sighed and threw an arm around his friend's shoulders. Joaquin jumped at the sudden contact and glanced worryingly at the bandage. The matador stole more grapes from Joaquin's plate, "It's a party brother, enjoy it."

Mary thought that she saw a light blush spreading across Joaquin's cheeks. Before she could look closer, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Maria pointed her thumb at the buffet with a grin. Mary glanced back at the two men, who were somehow now in a heated debate whether bulls were safe or not, before nodding at Maria. They walked over to the buffet and Mary grabbed one of the ready glasses of wine. Maria shooed Chuy away from the food before grabbing a glass herself.

After half of her wine was gone, Mary looked over at party. "Do you have parties this big all the time?"

Maria shrugged. "Not always, but everyone wants to see how the Hero of the Ring is."

"It's kind of loud," Mary commented, "and crowded."

"I couldn't agree more," Maria said with a laugh. She slipped her hand into Mary's easily. "Come on, let's go to the library."

Mary glanced down at their joined hands before nodding with a grin. She allowed Maria to lead her through the room with such ease that it was obvious that Maria had plenty of practice of weaving in and out of a crowd.

Soon, the voices of the party softened until only the mariachi brothers could be heard. The two women went into the library, leaving the door opened only long enough so Chuy, who had followed them, could slip through.

Maria took the spot Mary had saw her earlier that day, her fingertips running across the cover of Moby Dick. Mary sat down in the loveseat right in front of Maria. Chuy hopped up next to the younger woman, resting his head on her lap.

Mary took a sip of her glass as she studied the woman in front of her. Maria met the gaze with a slight smirk as she patted Chuy's head. "Why are you staring at me?" Maria asked as she finished her glass.

The older woman shrugged, noticing how there was a slight slur to Maria's voice. "How many glasses have you had?" she asked.

Maria simply grinned mischievously. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I needed one after today," the grin grew as she added, "or a few."

Mary rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh but her eyes were alight with humor. "Today was a very exciting day." She swirled the wine in her glass before taking a sip of it, sighing as the alcohol left a soothing burn down her throat.

Maria gave a noncommittal hum, glancing down to the book. Mary saw that the younger woman's cheeks were flushed but supposed it must have been from all the alcohol she consumed.

It seemed as if Maria had gotten her thoughts in order because she looked back up. "Although it could have been better."

"Manolo says that the cut isn't deep so he'll be all right," Mary assured Maria, thinking that the younger woman was talking about her husband.

Maria shook her head. "I know but I'm not talking about Manolo. The door finally fell over today at the orphanage." Maria looked down at the empty glass sadly. "It's hurricane season next month and if the orphanage floods, I'm not sure what we're going to do."

Mary thought for a moment before suggesting, "What if we donate money to the nuns so they can hire someone to fix the building?"

"I can't. No matter how many times I try, they won't accept a single peso from me!" Maria said a little angrily. Mary quickly leaned over and plucked the glass from Maria's hands before the younger woman dropped it in her anger. Maria looked down at her empty hands, confused as to where her glass had gone for a second before continuing. "It's all that gato grasa's fault!" Mary's face must have shown her confusion because Maria said bitterly, "The orphanage used to be owned by corrupt people. A rich family would pretend to volunteer as teachers and give 'donations' to the staff. In reality, the family was paying them off so they could borrow the children to work on their farms." Maria's face twisted in disgust, "It's said that the children came back to the orphanage covered in cuts and bruises but not a single staff member did anything about it. Eventually, it became public what the orphanage and that family were doing. Both got run out of town." Chuy gave an approving snort. "After that, the orphanage went to the nuns and it became policy that none of the volunteers are allowed to give any money."

"That's terrible," Mary whispered.

Maria nodded in agreement. The younger woman looked very drowsy after her rant, her head resting against the couch as the hand petting Chuy stilled. Mary grinned as Maria's eyes fluttered close for a second before her breathing evened out and her head loll back against the seat. Chuy glanced back up before yawning and moving into a more comfortable position.

Mary got up from her seat and strolled over to the two. She snapped her fingers and La Muerte stood in the middle of the library. Chuy only raised his head sleepily, his eyes blinking slowly, trying to comprehend why the goddess was standing in front of him instead of Mary. La Muerte grinned down at him and twirled her hand once, a blanket appearing out of thin air and floating slowly down to cover Maria and Chuy. The pig grunted thanks and buried his body under the blanket to get warm.

La Muerte glanced at Maria who was now smiling softly in her sleep. The younger woman murmured something under her breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "Mary." La Muerte shook her head with a smile as she disappeared in a cloud of marigold petals. She appeared in her castle, the small smile still on her face. She sat down in her throne and twirled her hand, summoning a gold goblet filled with wine from the air. She took a sip from the goblet and tapped out the same tune the mariachi brothers were playing at the party. "Tomorrow is going to be so much fun," she said to herself.


	7. and so I shower you with gifts

Mary walked quickly through the streets, smiling as she hummed a random tune. A bundle wrapped in yellow paper was tucked neatly under her arm. Even the weather reflected her good mood, the sun shined down on her with warm rays without a single cloud to block it. She grinned as she saw the ruined orphanage loom in front of her. Maria was not joking; there was no door that protected the inside of the orphanage from nature's wrath.

The woman walked into the orphanage and weaved through the crowds of children. She walked straight to the Principal's Office, having learned where it was from Maria a few days ago.

She saw the priest sit in a chair not that better than the ones the children have. He was reviewing some paperwork with a deep frown. Mary saw him heave a great sigh and tried to rub away the lines in his forehead.

Mary cleared her throat and the priest smiled tiredly at her. "Come in, come in. How may I help you?" He gestured to the ancient seat in front of his desk.

Instead of sitting in the chair and risk it breaking under her small weight, Mary stood in front of the desk. "I would like to make a donation," she said professionally.

The priest grinned as his eyes shined with gratitude and glanced down at the paperwork he left on the desk. "Thank you so much for your generosity. As you can probably see, we need all the help we can get."

Mary nodded and gave the man the bundle. Confused, but intrigued, the man opened the package and glanced inside. He sat rigid in his seat and stared at the contents of the bundle. He glanced up at Mary and back down. The priest gulped loudly and took out the wad of pesos. He thumbed the money and stopped counting at halfway through. "T-this is your donation?" he asked, still staring at the bills in wonder.

"Is that enough? I can give you more if you like," Mary said worryingly.

The man gulped again and shook his head. "No, this amount," tears sprang to the priest's eyes as ideas ran rampant in his head, "the orphanage could be rebuilt from scratch! And still have enough left over to refurnish the entire school twice over!" He jumped out of his seat and clasped Mary's hand, shaking it as if his life depended on it. "Thank you miss! Thank you!"

Mary grinned and waved the thanks away. "It is nothing sir. I just want to make sure the children are well taken care of."

"Yes, thanks to you, they'll all live like kings and queens!" The priest looked at the paperwork he was viewing over and slapped a hand over it. "We can pay for the new door! And a roof! And desks! And boards! A-and beds! Oh the children will live in comfort and want for nothing!" The man was practically shaking with excitement. He grasped Mary's hand again, "Thank you miss! I-I have to tell the nuns and dear Mrs. Posada that their prayers have been answered!"

Mary grinned widely, but it was not because she had just donated a large sum of money to a good cause. She watched the priest scurry out and followed him out of the room in a more leisure pace. She walked towards the exit, imagining what the orphanage will look like in a few week's time.

She had just turned the corner to walk to the cemetery and go to the Land of the Remembered when she heard someone running towards her. She looked over her shoulder to see Maria stopping behind her, breathing hard. Maria managed to gasp out, "T-the priest. He. You. Donation."

Mary smiled and nodded, waiting patiently for the younger woman to catch her breath. What the young woman did next surprised Mary so much that she did not do anything to stop her. Maria pulled Mary into a tight embrace, her face buried in the older woman's neck. When she pulled back, Maria beamed at Mary. "Is it true?" her voice wavered only a little bit at the end, but it was still filled with awe and gratitude.

Mary simply nodded with a grin and gasped in shock as she was pulled into another hug. She returned it with a moment of hesitation. When the hug ended, Mary noticed that there was a slight flush in Maria's cheeks.

"I have no idea what to say but thank you," Maria said. She looked back to the direction of the orphanage before looking back at Mary. "I don't know what we would have done without you. There must be a way for me to repay you." Her eyes brightened as she gasped. "I know, we can go get lunch, it'll be my treat."

The older woman nodded, wondering if that flash of fear of rejection she saw in Maria's eyes was just her imagination. Maria grinned and grabbed Mary's hand gently, guiding her down the street. "Don't you still have work?" Mary asked, realizing that the younger woman might be playing hookie.

"Nope. After the big announcement of your donation, all of the nuns decided to give the children a treat and let them go off and play." Maria bumped shoulders playfully with Maria, "So now I have nothing to do for the rest of the day."

"Well, I suppose you'll just have to indulge me," Mary replied slyly. Once again, she thought she saw Maria's cheeks flush slightly as the younger woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, we're here." Maria let go of Mary's hand and hurried over to the hostess, whispering low enough so Mary could not hear. The hostess gave Maria an odd look but signaled for the two to follow her. The hostess led Mary and Maria to a secluded part of the restaurant that had a clear view of the chapel. Both women sat down and the hostess walked away without another glance.

Maria played with her wedding ring for a bit before the waitress came and got their drink orders. They ordered wine with a secret grin. Maria glanced up at Mary who nodded encouragingly. "I know you have something on your mind, what is it?" Mary asked.

"How did you know I wanted to ask something?" Maria questioned, the fingers stilling on her ring.

The older woman gestured towards the ring. "You keep playing with your wedding ring when you're nervous or have something on your mind." She tilted her head with a slight frown. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Maria quickly shook her head no but after a moment she glanced down and nodded once. She looked up, "Where did you get that money?"

Mary was not expecting that question. She had hoped that Maria would just accept that she had made a sizable donation and leave it at that. Thinking about it now, Mary realized she should have seen this coming. Deciding to play it cool and to buy herself some time, she said, "I am the banditos new leader." She shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

Maria stared at her in such horror that Mary held up both hands. "That was a joke!" She saw the relief in Maria's face. "I come from a wealthy family."

"Then what are you doing in San Angel for? Surely your husband would have left you more than enough of money." Mary could not tell if she had imagined the bitterness in Maria's voice or not.

"I find that I like the view and the people," Mary replied, taking great care not to give anything away. She felt guilt stir in her belly but she had forgotten why it was there. "And I would like to see that man try to take any of my riches."

"How are you and your husband anyway?" Maria asked, glancing away from Mary's eyes.

Luckily, the older woman was saved from saying an unreasonable lie when the waitress came with their drinks. As they ordered their food, Mary searched for a logical answer, once again feeling the guilt rear up deep in her belly. She took a sip from her glass of wine to gain courage as she said, "We are still on bad terms, I doubt that we will see eye-to-eye ever again."

It disturbed Mary to think that a year prior, that statement was extremely accurate. A part of her wondered if it was still correct.

An emotion not unlike relief fluttered in Maria's eyes but for a moment before she looked downcast at her drink. "I'm sorry to hear that." A hint of shame was laced through the words although Mary had no idea why Maria would be ashamed of anything.

The two continued to talk about Mary's past, Mary feeling guiltier with every lie she said about her nonexistent family. The food could not have come fast enough and when it finally arrived, Mary was so grateful that she did not hesitate to start eating, taking a generous drink from her wine to sooth her burning tongue a moment later. She glared halfheartedly at Maria who had giggled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," Maria said as she made a show of blowing the steam off of her food before putting it in her mouth.

Mary was just glad that the subject of her 'family' was dropped. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, this time Mary savoring the food. Mary glanced back up at Maria, "How is Manolo doing?"

Maria shrugged. "He's doing okay and his wound is healing nicely. It's like he said, it could have been a lot worse," she said with a shudder.

Mary nodded in agreement and took a sip of her wine. They became quiet once more as they finished their food. They left the restaurant in companionable silence, only breaking it to point something out like a drunkard stumbling out of a bar.

"How is Joaquin?" Mary asked as the two strolled past the statue of Joaquin's father. She glanced at Maria and saw that the smile that graced the younger woman's lips slipped into a small frown. Mary slowed down her pace as her eyes showed her concern. "Did something happen?" A sudden wave of protectiveness pierced Mary's insides and she was shocked at the intensity of it.

The feeling only dimmed the tiniest bit when Maria shook her head without saying anything. Mary watched Maria's face closely as she asked, "Did he do something to that bull?"

Maria's eyes widened in surprise, "What!? N-no, Joaquin would never hurt one of the bulls! Manolo would punch him for even thinking about it!" Maria said with a weak laugh. She looked down as she sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping under pressure that Mary did not know. "Joaquin wanted to put the bull down but Manolo managed to show him that it really was an accident. The poor thing wouldn't stop crying when he saw Joaquin's blades." Maria shook her head as if to rid herself of the image she had created.

"So the bull is going to be okay?" Mary asked gently, placing a hand on Maria's lower back.

Maria smiled gratefully for the physical contact and nodded. "Yes. He won't be able to perform with Manolo for a while but he's going to be fine." She brushed back a strand of hair and coughed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for suddenly getting so emotional. This entire week has just been really"

"interesting?" May suggested when Maria led off.

"Yeah," Maria agreed. She looked up and saw the sun had moved quite a bit as they had their lunch and walk. She stopped and clasped her hands in front of her, grinning. "Manolo and Joaquin will probably want to thank you too once I tell them what you did. How about you come over for dinner tomorrow night? We'll cook for you."

Mary tilted her head to the side with a sly grin. "I thought lunch was my thank you."

Maria waved the statement away. "That was  _my_ thank you, this will be theirs."

"So wait, I help your orphanage and you take me out to lunch, without lifting a single finger to prepare the food I might add, and Manolo and Joaquin are going to slave away for hours making me dinner," Mary teased, delighted in the way Maria smirked and narrowed her eyes at the jest. "Doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

The younger woman looked up into the sky as she pretended to think with an innocent expression. She grinned mischievously a moment later as she shook her head. "No, but I suppose they just want to impress you more than I do." Her eyes widened in horror at her choice of words for but a moment but that moment was all that Mary needed.

Mary stepped closer to Maria and touched her arm, smiling a little when the other woman visibly relaxed at the simple touch. She tried to think of what Maria could possibly mean by what she said and she chuckled when she reached a conclusion. "Is Joaquin trying to impress me?"

Maria looked even more shocked at that question than when Mary had asked if the man had done something to the bulls. After a few moments she recovered and gave a wary laugh. "Perhaps," she said lamely. The mischievous grin was back, however it did not erase the surprised expression that Mary say before. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night?"

The older woman gave a nod. "I'll see you then."

Maria grinned, this time a genuine one, and began to walk away. Mary watched her go as she replayed Maria's strange behavior over in her head. She was certain that she had done something to cause the weird reactions from her friend but she could not figure out why.

After Maria had left her sight, Mary shrugged and turned to walk towards the cemetery.  _Oh well,_  she thought to herself. She will figure it out eventually but probably not right now. Her mind was too occupied with thoughts on what Joaquin and Manolo could possibly be cooking for her and her stomach was too filled with excitement over having dinner with Maria the following evening.


	8. Come away with me

La Muerte looked at herself through a mirror. The frame was completely made of gold with rubies and emeralds adorning the sides of the looking glass. Each rock was connected with extravagant swirls that were etched into the material. But the frame did not hold La Muerte's attention in the least bit, if anything thing it only made her more irritated with its everlasting beauty. She continued to frown at herself, her eyes roaming over her red dress and sombrero.

"This won't do at all." She waved a hand and Mary was now the one frowning in the mirror. She eyed her white skirt and blue shirt with a grimace, she could not wear this to the dinner! She wore the outfit all the time and Maria may think her cheap for wearing it at a formal dinner. Mary snapped her fingers and saw that she was now wearing a sleeveless red dress that ended at her knees. She wondered if she should fix the dress so the plummeting neck line did not show so much cleavage but after a moment she left the dress as it was. The color complimented her hair and she brushed her hand against the left side of the silky strands. When her fingers pulled away, a marigold was now woven into her hair.

She felt excitement curl in her belly as she snapped her fingers once again. A cloud of marigold petals danced around her being and she had to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape. When they disappeared, she was back at San Angel's cemetery. She looked around herself and saw that Chuy was not there to lead her to Maria's mansion. She did not pay this any attention, Chuy was probably taking a nap somewhere.

Mary strolled out of the cemetery and into the main markets. She ignored the stares that some men were giving her, knowing by the way they were leaning out of the bars to get a better look at her that they were simply a little intoxicated. However, one of them whistled at her and called out slurred catcalls at her. The man promptly lost balance and fell into the mud below by a gust of wind.

Sooner than she had expected, she was standing in front of Maria's home. The butterflies in her stomach did not go away, rather they only grew in number as she raised a fist to knock. Just as her knuckles were about to brush the wood, the door opened. She smiled, expecting it to be Maria, but was confused when there was no one on the other side.

A soft baying sound brought her eyes down to the floor. Chuy looked expectantly at Mary with something that looked suspiciously like a smug grin. Mary did not question how the pig had managed to open the door, she simply accepted it and walked into the foyer.

"Where is Maria?" Mary asked, feeling a slight disappointment at the fact that Maria was not there to greet her.

Chuy just gave a small grunt and padded away, going off to do whatever the pig did in his free time. Mary watched him go, wondering if she should have followed him.

"Who's there? Maria, is that you?"

Mary turned her head to where the voice came from. She was shocked to see Joaquin stumble through the right door, fixing his belt with a flushed and slightly dazed look on his face. He looked at her for a moment before his eye widened in horror. He gave a shriek that sounded almost like a girl's, giving Mary a slight start.

Manolo charged into the foyer from the door Joaquin just entered, searching the room for whatever danger caused Joaquin to scream. His appearance surprised Mary but his attire made her continue to stare at him. Or rather, the lack of attire. The man was only wearing boxers that had little bulls and hearts on them. They would have made Mary giggle if it weren't for the fact that tears were in the man's eyes as he finally noticed who had entered his home. With a glance at Joaquin, she saw the same tears in his eyes, along with fear.

"We weren't doing anything wrong!" Manolo yelled out, holding up his hands as if he expected to be attacked.

Mary had no idea what to say, or even what to think about the situation she found herself in. She was spared from any more oddities when the door behind her opened. She looked to see Maria letting herself in, the younger woman halting when she saw the two men and Mary in her foyer.

Maria glanced at the two men and then Mary, the same shock and fear on her face. "Mary, you weren't supposed to be here until another hour," she said lamely.

The older woman only shrugged and replied. "I thought I would come here earlier to surprise you. And perhaps help them with cooking," she added with a glance to the men.

Maria walked further into the foyer and stood between Mary and the two men. She looked back at them and noticed the tears in their eyes. She grimaced and her face turned stoic as she looked back at Mary. "You cannot tell anyone about them," she said, her voice faltering in the end.

"I – tell anyone what?" Slowly the mechanics in her head started to turn. She glanced at Manolo in his boxers back to Joaquin, who had not managed to fix his belt successfully. She finally looked back at Maria who met her gaze steadily. "Wait, Manolo, are you and Joaquin-" The tears that finally slipped from the matadors eyes confirmed her theory.

"Please," Manolo pleaded, Joaquin taking a step towards him, a hand raised above his arm like he wanted to comfort Manolo before realizing that he could not do so without making the situation worse. The hand fell back to his side as Manolo finished, "please don't tell anyone."

Mary saw the desperation in all three faces and quickly shook her head. "Don't be scared! I won't tell anyone." Everything finally clicked into place from Manolo's strange behavior to Maria's reluctance to talk about her marriage. Deep in the darkest parts of her mind, she celebrated but did not know why. She shook her head to get rid of the weird feeling, deciding to ponder on it later when she was back in the Land of the Forgotten.

Manolo's and Maria's faces showed their immense relief, Maria might have been a little more relieved, but Joaquin still looked doubtful. "How can we know that we can trust you with our secret?" he asked, his hand now firmly resting on Manolo's arm.

"Do you love Manolo?" Mary asked back.

Joaquin's chest swelled with pride as he answered. "Of course I do. Who wouldn't?" he added with a glance at Manolo.

Mary nodded in approval and turned her attention to Manolo. "Do you love Joaquin?"

Manolo could only nod.

"Then I don't see why you two shouldn't be together."

Joaquin took a step forward, pointing at Mary with an angry look on his face. Mary could still see the fear that resided in his eye and knew not to take whatever the hero was about to say to heart. "If you tell anyone about us," Joaquin jerked his head towards Manolo to indicate who 'us' was, "I will find you and arrest you for telling blatant lies about a decorated hero. And believe me, no one will come looking for you once I'm through with you."

"Joaquin!" Maria yelled, stepping in between Mary and the man. She pointed a finger in Joaquin's face and Mary was impressed by the immediate effect. Joaquin took a step back and did not meet Maria's eyes as the woman said evenly, "I told you that we can trust Mary and we can. So don't you  _dare_  threaten my friend like that."

"I just want to make sure that she won't out us," Joaquin said in defense.

"She said she won't and she won't." Maria crossed her arms and even though Joaquin was quite a bit taller and stronger than her, Maria still scolded him as if he were one of her students.

"I swear I won't say anything," Mary interjected. She knew that she had to defuse the tension and fast, before Maria and Joaquin started to fight. She honestly did not want to explain to the authorities why the town's hero was beaten to a pulp. "If it makes you feel any more comfortable, I know what it feels like to be with someone and have people judge you for it."

Her words seem to have done the trick. Joaquin's shoulders relaxed and he no longer looked at Mary with fear in his eye. "Okay," he said slowly, "I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

Mary saw that Joaquin genuinely felt guilty for his accusations. She rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about it. I understand why you are so protective of Manolo and Maria. They're good people."

She looked at Maria and saw that the other woman was watching the conversation with a small smile and the tiniest glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Is this the tight position that you were talking about?" Mary asked.

Maria nodded, the smile growing. "Yes." She looked at the two men. "I told you that we could trust Mary."

Manolo looked grateful, wiping his tears away as he grinned. Joaquin nodded and rubbed small circles in Manolo's back to comfort the man. "Now that, um, that is out of the way, we'll uh," a small blush covered the hero's cheeks, "go find Manolo's clothes." The two left the room.

Maria sighed in relief when the two men left their sight. "Even though I told them you wouldn't judge them, I was still a little scared that you would think that their love was disgusting. No offense," she added quickly.

Mary nodded in understanding. "A lot of people disapprove of homosexuals but there's nothing wrong with their love. They just happen to like the people of the same sex, that's all."

The younger woman smiled at Mary's choice of words. "That's exactly what I think."

"I can't possibly imagine what it would be like to be in love with someone who I can't be with openly." Mary looked at the door where the two men had left and felt pity for them but pushed the emotion away. They did not deserve pity, they deserve support.

Mary could have sworn that Maria had glanced away in shame but before she could say anything, Maria looked at Mary's dress with a small smile. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Mary said. "How long do you think it would take for Manolo to – um find his clothes."

Maria shrugged with a blush. "Maybe we should go to the dinner room table as we wait for them."

"That sounds good." Mary followed Maria as she walked through the door on the left.

Maria glanced back at Mary and smiled and gave a little shrug. "Sorry that you got dressed up for nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," Mary said. She looked down at herself and brushed away imaginary wrinkles. "I like looking beautiful."

The younger woman gazed at Mary's dress with an approving hum. She opened a door to the right and slipped inside. Mary saw a long table dressed in a pristine white sheet, the edges frilled. There were four seats situated around the table, one placed at the front of table. Plates with silverware were in front of each seat and on each of the dinner plate was a small bowl with a napkin shaped like a crane.

Already there were steaming plates filled of food placed randomly on the cloth. Mary could tell that there were enchiladas, a big bowl of cioppino, and a plate of tamales. There was a bottle of wine right next to a pair of old fashioned candleholders whose red candles set a relaxing mood in the room. All in all, the dinner spoke of untold hours of effort and Mary felt a little overwhelmed at the amount of the awe and appreciation that bloomed in her belly.

"Say what you will about Joaquin, but he can cook," Maria said as she eyed the cioppino with a look that spoke volumes of how good the dish must taste. "He wouldn't let anyone near the kitchen for half the day."

"Joaquin made all of this?" Mary giggled at the sudden image of Joaquin wearing a pink frilly apron shaking his whisk at Manolo as the matador tried to sneak inside the kitchen.

Maria nodded, still looking hungrily at the bowl of soup. "Yep, he said that towns that could not pay him money gave him food and shelter instead. After a while Joaquin started to cook some of the recipes the townspeople had given him and found he was really good in the kitchen." Maria patted her slim stomach, "I swear that I never had better churros than his."

"And you never will," Joaquin said as he walked in to the dining room. Manolo followed him, his face still slightly flushed, but he was wearing all of his clothes. "I spent days trying to perfect the recipe!" Maria looked like she was about to ask something but the hero interrupted her. "And don't bother asking what I put in it, Senora Garzel trusted me with her family secret and I am not about to dishonor myself so you could eat a dessert."

"I was just going to ask if we could eat now," Maria muttered as she took a seat next to Mary.

The older woman saw that the two were smiling and guessed that their banter was how they simply interacted with one another. It did not go amiss from Mary that Manolo sighed at the display as he sat in an empty seat.

Joaquin poured each of them a glass of wine and Mary hummed as she recognized the taste, it was the first wine she had shared with Maria. She glanced at Maria who grinned sheepishly and shrugged before taking a sip from her own glass.

A soft clinking sound brought her attention to Manolo who had his glass in one hand and a fork in his other. He set down the fork and stood, raising his glass to give a salute to Mary. "Before I begin, I should say that even though we have not talked much, I do know a lot about you from Maria." Mary glanced at the younger woman and giggled when she saw the vibrant blush that covered Maria's cheeks. "And," Manolo said with a chuckle, "from what I have gathered, your donation should not have come as much of a shock. Maria says that you are one of the most generous people she has ever met and after the actions of today" he said with an embarrassed cough and a glance at Joaquin, "I would also dare to say that you are one of the most kind and understanding person  _we_ have ever met. We hope that you stay in our quaint little town for a very long time and get to know you more." It was Mary's turn to blush. Manolo raised his glass higher and Maria and Joaquin followed his example with grins on their faces. "To Mary Beth!"

"To Mary Beth!" Maria and Joaquin repeated.

Mary smiled with a blush, she had not expected a speech but she could not deny the little curl of honor in her stomach. She took one of the enchiladas and her mouth began to water at the smell that came off of the food. She took a bite and her mouth exploded with different flavors that went together so exquisitely. She did not miss the smug look on Joaquin's face as she reached out for another enchilada and some of the cioppino. Mary knew it was wrong, but she knew that once Joaquin passed on to the Land of the Remembered, she would try to get him to teach her how to cook these dishes. 

The entire dinner went very smoothly. Joaquin and Manolo asked Mary about the town she used to live in and she answered as truthfully as she could. Mary felt the guilt at lying so easily but she knew it would not be a good idea to let her guard down with Manolo here. One little slip up and Manolo would recognize her for who she really was. Mary started to question her decision in weaving the marigold flower in her hair but when she caught Maria looking at it, she shoved the concern to the back of her head.

Soon, the food was gone and Joaquin left to get the dessert. Manolo watched as the hero leave the room with undisguised love in his eyes. Maria rolled her eyes good naturally at the love struck expression and whispered low enough so Mary could only hear. "Do you mind if I spend the night over your apartment. I think that Manolo wants more alone time with Joaquin."

Mary nearly choked on her wine as she laughed. Manolo looked at her in concern as she coughed. She waved away Maria's hand as she rubbed the older woman's back with an apologetic smile. "I'm fine," she said, frowning at the hoarseness of her voice. "And sorry, but I don't have a spare bed or couch for you to sleep on."

"Why would Maria need to sleep over your apartment?" Manolo asked as he regarded the two women with a confused expression.

Maria only laughed and schooled her expression to be one of innocence. "I was just trying to be considerate." When Manolo looked only more confused, Maria explained with an impish grin, "I just thought that you would want peace and quiet before you romance Joaquin."

Manolo only responded with flushed cheeks. He glanced at Mary, "Joaquin and I aren't always like that, I swear. You just caught us in a – uh"

"a good time?" Mary offered with a grin. "You two were just making love, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Maria smiled triumphantly at Manolo. "Told you we could trust her," she said, not bothering to hide the smugness in her voice.

"You never know though Maria," Manolo said in warning. Mary got the strange sense that the man was not just talking about his relationship with Joaquin. Confused, Mary looked at Maria and saw that the younger woman glanced away from Manolo's gazed with something that looked like doubt in her eyes.

Mary was about to ask Maria what was wrong but Joaquin stumbled into the room, struggling to keep the plate of churros out of reach of the jumping Chuy. "Maria, call him off!"

"Chuy, come here." Chuy looked between the dessert and Maria and decided that eating the entire plate of desserts was no longer his priority. He padded over to Maria and sat on his haunches, however he continued to eye the churros.

Joaquin placed the plate in the middle of the table, keeping an eye on the pig in case he suddenly charged the dessert. Everyone took a churro, Mary seeing in the corner of her eye that Maria had given one to Chuy. Mary took a bite and she quickly took another, it was so good! Once again she saw Joaquin's chest swell with pride. It was settled, she would ask Joaquin to be her personal guard and cook once he passed on.

Manolo chuckled and elbowed his boyfriend lightly in the side. "So Mary, I don't recall you telling us where you are from. What town did you live in before coming here?"

Mary stopped eating her dessert as she started, schooling her features into indifference. "I didn't say?" All three shook their heads. "Well, I was born in a small town near the capital. I doubt you would have heard of it."

Manolo rubbed at his chin with a thoughtful expression. "I could have sworn I heard your voice from somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Mary felt dread in deep in her belly. She glanced worriedly at Maria and saw the woman look skeptical, her eyes trained on Manolo waiting for him to finish his thought.

"Yes. I don't think we've ever met before but your voice," Manolo scratched his head, "I can't really explain it but I swear I've heard it before. You sound a lot like … like – CHUY!"

Mary was confused until she saw that Chuy had come to her rescue. The pig had noticed where the conversation was turning and ran up to Manolo and grabbed the man's dessert when he wasn't looking. Chuy ran to the other side of the table and sat next to Mary, chewing his churro happily. Mary patted his head, whispering, "Thank you," before looking back at Manolo.

Luckily, Manolo seemed more worried about his lost dessert than where he knew Mary's voice from. He plucked another churro from the plate and began to eat it, eyeing Chuy in case the pig decided one churro was not enough.

The conversation became more lively and away from Mary's birthplace. They talked about the food and how good it was, Joaquin beaming with pride all the while. They finished the dessert and Mary chuckled when Manolo leaned against Joaquin and yawned into his hand. Joaquin got the hint and bowed to Mary, "If you will all excuse me, my boyfriend wishes to continue our lovemaking."

Manolo sat straight up, blushing hard and glaring at Joaquin who only chuckled. Nonetheless, Manolo bid the two women goodbye and followed Joaquin out of the dining room.

"Are they always like that?" Mary asked.

Maria finished her glass of wine and gave a so-so motion. "Joaquin's being a little more open with the uh – intimate aspect of their relationship than usual, but I think he just likes having the opportunity to embarrass Manolo in front of a new person." Maria stood up and offered Mary a hand. "Come on, let's go to the library."

Mary finished her own glass and took the hand, allowing Maria to lead her to the library. A new thought occurred to Mary; the library was practically their place. The realization made her grin as they slipped inside the room. Maria took her seat on the loveseat and Mary the chair facing it. Chuy jumped up next to Maria and rested his head on her lap, licking his snout free of any sugar from the churros.

"Can I ask a question?" Maria asked, feeling that what she about to ask could lead to a very dangerous path.

"Anything," Mary said immediately. She knew that she should have chose her words more carefully but right now she found that she would answer Maria's question honestly, even if it meant revealing she was La Muerte. Perhaps she had too much wine to drink.

"Are you really okay with Joaquin and Manolo being together?" Maria was playing with her wedding ring again and Mary now noticed that the band was unpolished.

Mary thought about the words she could say very carefully. "Yes, I don't believe that it should matter that they are both men, as long as they are in love. If Joaquin and Manolo want to give their hearts to one another, then I wish them luck. It is hard enough to find true love without worrying about something as trivial as a person's gender."

Maria nodded as she considered Mary's words. She bowed her head as she scratched Chuy's chin, laughing softly as the pig's hind leg scratched the air. She looked up from behind her bangs as she asked, "And if Joaquin and Manolo were women?"

The amount of hesitation in Maria's voice confused Mary and she berated herself for drinking so much wine that she couldn't figure out what Maria meant. "I wouldn't care if they were women either. Like I said, if they love each other then they love each other. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Maria smiled at the answer. Her hand stilled and Chuy grunted in disapproval.

"Can I ask my own question?"

It took Maria a few seconds to nod. Mary could see the uncertainty and a little fear in Maria's eyes.

"When did you find out that Joaquin and Manolo were together?"

Maria let out a giggle, relief flooding her face. She shook her head with a smile, brushing her fingers through her hair. "Our honeymoon. Manolo accidentally called me Joaquin."

Mary stared at Maria slack mouthed, which only served to make the younger woman laugh harder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you look so funny right now!" Maria clutched at her sides as she struggled to breathe.

"How can you make fun of that? I-I understand that you've accept that Manolo and Joaquin are in love but on your honeymoon-"

Maria lifted a hand to silence Mary's speech. "You asked me when I found out, not how long I was wondering how far their relationship went. I had some hints long before the honeymoon."

"Like what?"

The younger woman hummed at the memory. "The first indication that Joaquin and Manolo felt more than platonic love is when I first came back to San Angel. Manolo threw a bullfight in my honor but there was one moment that made me doubt whether the bullfight was really dedicated to me. The audience tossed roses at Manolo and he picked one up while the bull was distracted. He held it out as if presenting it to me, but his eyes were not on me."

"They were on Joaquin," Mary concluded.

Maria nodded with a grin. "Looking back on it now, I should have known that those two were destined for one another." She looked down at her ring with a small frown. "Joaquin should be wearing this, not me."

Mary made a noise of agreement but she said gently, "But you wearing that ring makes it easier for them to stay hidden."

Maria's eyes snapped up from the ring to rest on Mary's face. "They shouldn't have to hide though! If they're in love, they should be able to be in love openly, not hide it like it's something to be ashamed of!"

Mary did not know what she was doing until she already did it. She got up from her seat and hurried to Maria's side that Chuy was not occupying. A hand rested on Maria's as she looked her in the eye. "Life can be very hard for the living but you must remember that there  _is_ a brighter future. Even in death," she added softly.

She knew that she said the wrong thing when Maria looked at her with an unreadable expression. "La Muerte," she murmured.

All Mary knew was that she had stopped breathing, her entire body tensing up. She stared at Maria, waiting for the younger woman to yell at her for lying about her identity. Even Chuy lifted his head to glance between the two women in concern.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mary asked. She knew that she was in huge trouble but Maria did not seem angry at all. The younger woman was just looking at her with a confused face, obviously she had sensed a change in the older woman's demeanor.

"La Muerte said that."

"Oh, well the museum that I worked at had a section dedicated to La Muerte in the legends exhibit." Mary almost breathed a sigh of relief when understanding spread on Maria's face. She did not like lying to the younger woman but Maria could not find out the truth. Ever.

The realization almost took the breath out of Mary's lungs. Maria trusted her, even vouched for her to keep Manolo and Joaquin's secret, and throughout it all Mary had been lying to Maria's face. Maria believed that Mary was the most generous person she ever met.

_But in reality, I'm nothing but a liar,_  Mary thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mary must have shown some of her self-loathing because now Maria was looking at her in concern. Brown eyes stared intently into blue and Mary had to break the eye contact lest Maria saw the treachery in them.

"Nothing," Mary lied once more. "I was just wondering where you went for your honeymoon."

Maria did not look convinced but she answered nevertheless. "Manolo took me to Arroba." She looked down at her lap. "It was fun but after, well, you know, Arroba lost some of its magical atmosphere." Maria glanced at Mary before darting her eyes back to her lap. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Mary shook her head with a comforting grin. "No it doesn't." A sudden thought bloomed in her head and she smiled as excitement rushed through her veins. "Come with me," she said breathlessly.

"Where?"

Mary grasped both of Maria's hands. "Arroba," she answered. "You can show me that school you went to as a child and the museums!"

Maria still looked apprehensive. "Why?" she asked almost shyly.

"To make new memories that will replace the old. If Arroba means to you as much as I think it does, you shouldn't remember it as you do now." Mary made a gesture to all of the books that surrounded them. "Every novel in here has characters that all have that one place where they feel at home and I truly believe that in  _this_ story, Arroba is yours, Maria. Please, let me show you that it is still your home."

_Let me make up for my lies_ , Mary added silently in her head.

Maria's eyes welled up in tears of gratitude but she still shook her head. "I have to think of the orphanage, I just can't leave the children so suddenly."

Maria's excuse only made Mary smile widen. "Then we won't leave so suddenly. Give them a week's notice a-and we'll only be gone for two days. I'll even pay for everything, you know that I can afford to." Mary was glad that the joke earned a tiny but unmistakable chuckle from the younger woman. "Come on Maria," Mary pleaded, beaming when she saw the weak resistance crumble in Maria's eyes. "Come away with me."

"Okay." Maria finally smiled as she gave Mary's hands a light squeeze. "I'll go with you."


	9. Please don't turn away from me

“Finally,” Mary breathed as she stood in front of Maria’s mansion, a small suitcase next to her. She knocked on the wooden door, shaking off the last bit of exhaustion. Mary wanted to pack her bags as a human, an urge she could not understand but was helpless to overpower. But after packing her bag once, she had to redo it two more times to make sure she had everything she could possibly need during her trip.

It was time for her and Maria to go to Arroba to make new memories. Mary had spent most of last week with Maria, the two women discussing what they should do once they’ve arrived in Arroba. Several times the part of Mary that was concerned with how much time she spent with Maria rather than ruling the Land of the Remembered would make itself known. The small voice was always pushed away once she reminded herself that she had the loyal Sanchezes watching over things and if something were to happen, one of them would alert her immediately. 

Her inner rambling ended as the door opened to reveal Joaquin. The hero grinned and gestured for Mary to enter. “Hola Mary,” Joaquin said happily. “Maria is just getting a few last minute things for the trip. She’ll be down in a moment.”

“Okay, I’ll just wait for her here then.”

Joaquin nodded and strolled off, presumably to wherever Manolo was.

That was another improvement. After the dinner, Joaquin and Manolo seemed much more at ease around Mary. Maria even confounded in Mary that the two were more open about their relationship now. The younger woman made a face right after and lamented playfully that soon she would have to find a place of her own or else she would not have enough sleep. Mary had regretted asking why when Maria informed her of the fact that the two of them were rather vocal when they were making love.

Mary did not have to wait long before she spotted Maria coming down the stairs, a cylindered pack on her back. Mary thought that the pack looked like something Joaquin would bring with him as he traveled to other towns. Chuy trudged behind the younger woman, a sad expression on his face. Mary frowned as she remembered his reaction to Maria explaining to the pig that the trip would only be for herself and Mary. The poor thing was absolutely devastated but after Mary told him that she would protect Maria for him, he cheered right back up.

Maria stopped in front of Mary and pulled her into a loose hug. “Hola Mary.” She pulled back and eyed the small suitcase. “Are you excited?” she asked, brown eyes flitting back to blue.

The older woman nodded. “Are you?”

“Most definitely.” The younger woman patted Chuy’s head with her free hand, “Don’t pout Chuy, I’ll be back before you know it.” 

The pig did not look convinced but he raised his head to receive more petting.

Maria grinned at Mary, “Shall we go?” she asked.

Mary gave an affirmative and she opened the door for Maria. Maria grinned and whispered thanks before walking out of the mansion with Chuy in tow. Mary was just about to close the door behind her when she saw Joaquin and Manolo coming into the foyer. 

“You didn’t actually think that we wouldn’t see you off?” Manolo teased as the two men join the trio outside. 

Mary heard Maria mutter something under her breath but could not tell what she said and saw how the younger woman tensed up slightly at Manolo’s question. “You already said goodbye,” Maria said with a small frown. Obviously, the younger woman was not pleased that Manolo and Joaquin were going to see them off but Mary did not understand why. She simply glanced between the two, practically feeling the tension rising even though humor danced in Manolo’s eyes.

“We did, to _you_ , “Joaquin laughed, unaffected by the charged atmosphere. Or maybe he knew what was causing it, Mary wondered. “We still haven’t said goodbye to Mary.”

Maria muttered something else that Mary did not catch but she allowed the two men to follow them. 

Mary walked close to Maria, whispering so only she could hear, “Did something happen?”

Maria heaved a sigh and shook her head. “They’re overprotected, that’s all.” She offered an apologetic smile as she saw Mary’s confusion. “Don’t worry about it, let’s just enjoy our trip.”

The older woman grinned at that. The group walked to the train station, stopping at one of the carts to get snacks for the ride. When they saw the train, Chuy whined and leaned against Maria, almost causing the woman to trip. Maria smiled sadly at Chuy and gave him a hug. The pig returned it with one of his front paws, whining low in his throat. “Don’t worry Chuy, I’ll be fine. I’ll even bring back a treat for you.”

It occurred to Mary that this might very well be the first time Maria has ever been away from Chuy for more than a day. She thought about Maria’s honeymoon and decided that it was not  _ that _ big of a stretch to believe that Maria took Chuy with her. 

A tap on her shoulder broke Mary’s train of thought. She looked behind her to see Manolo grinning down at her. “Have fun Mary,” he said, pulling the woman into an easy hug. “Thank you,” he whispered as she gave the woman a small squeeze. “I know that Arroba hasn’t been the same ever since the honeymoon and I beg you, make it her home again.” Manolo pulled away, coughing in embarrassment as his eyes watered. 

“I will,” Mary promised.

It was Joaquin’s turn to say goodbye to Mary. Unlike Manolo, he opted for a simple pat on the shoulder. “Maria has been looking forward to this for the entire week, so don’t be surprised when you can’t get a good night’s sleep,” he said with a wink and a smirk.

Manolo frowned and smacked Joaquin’s arm. “Be nice,” he said with narrowed eyes but on further inspection, Mary could see the mirth hidden in them.

“I’m just telling the truth!” Joaquin protested. He sobered and grinned at Mary. “Seriously though, I hope you have a wonderful time.”

“Are you two done saying goodbye?” Maria asked. Mary noticed that the younger woman still had a hand resting on Chuy’s head, not willing to break physical contact with the pig yet.

“Just about,” Manolo replied. He gave Maria a hug and whispered something in her ear as well. Mary could not hear what the man was saying but when the embrace ended, Maria nodded with a serious expression that did not fit the happy atmosphere. 

Maria held out a hand for Mary to take. “Come on, the train is about to leave.”

Mary gave one last glance to the two men and Chuy. The pig gave a long whine as the two women boarded the train. They sat in their seats in first class, placing their bags in the overhead compartment. They were the only ones in their cabin and Maria took quick advantage of resting her feet on the open seat next to her while Mary sat in front of the younger woman. They chatted about what to expect in Arroba and Maria told her the sights she wanted to show Mary. 

The train gave a sudden lurch that caused both women to jump. They watched outside the window as the train slowly left the station. Maria spotted Manolo and Joaquin waving at them, chuckling as she returned the wave. 

As the train began to pick up speed, Mary noticed something was running along their side of the train. “Maria, look!” She pointed at the thing that was running with all its might as it barked over the trains gears.

“Chuy!” Maria gasped, moving closer to the window to get a better look.

Indeed, the pig was running with the train, barking all along the way. Maria opened the window and stuck her head out. “Goodbye Chuy!” she yelled with a sad wave.

Chuy gave one last bark and slowed down, watching as the train sped up.

When the pig could no longer be seen, Maria pulled her head back inside and closed the window. She sat back in her seat with a sullen expression.

Mary reached over and rested a hand on Maria’s lap. “You really do love Chuy.” It wasn’t a question.

Still, Maria nodded. “He’s more like a child to me than a pet,” she confessed. She looked out of the window, chewing on her bottom lip. “I hope he doesn’t cause too much trouble with me gone.”

“He’s a good boy,” Mary offered. She was glad that her wording earned her a small grin.

“I know that I’m not supposed to ask but where are we staying?” Maria looked so hopeful that Mary had a sudden urge to tell her. That was another part of the trip, Mary had not told Maria where they would be staying for the next two days, only saying that it was a gift to show the younger woman how grateful she is for everything Maria had done since she ‘moved’ to San Angel. More than once, Maria almost got her to say the name but Mary kept her silence.

Mary grinned impishly. “Oh no, no spoiling the surprise.”

Maria pouted and crossed her arms like a child would when denied a sweet. Mary only laughed at the gesture which caused Maria to frown even more. “But I will tell you this, I hear the view you get is exquisite,” Mary receded. 

This seemed to placate Maria and the two began to talk about what they absolutely must see. After two hours however, Maria was now sleeping as Mary read from a book she brought with her. Mary glanced up from the page she was reading and giggled at the sight before her. Maria’s head rested against the window, her mouth slightly open. She would never peg Maria as a snorer but the soft noises coming from her were undoubtedly snores. Maria muttered something in her sleep and shuddered, her face twisting in discomfort but not waking.

Mary looked around her to see if anyone was watching. When she saw the coast was clear, she waved a hand and a silk blanket appeared out of thin air. An abrupt snort made Mary freeze, fearing that Maria had woken to see her use magic. But the young woman only murmured something in her sleep, nuzzling the window as if it were a pillow. Mary breathed a sigh of relief and covered Maria’s body with the blanket. 

Once she made sure the blanket would not fall off Maria’s body, Mary settled back in her seat. She picked up the book and with one final glance to affirm that Maria was comfortable, she began to read again.

Mary felt the train slow down an hour later. She looked outside and saw that they were approaching the train station in Arroba. She marked the page she was on and placed the book back in her suitcase, with everyone starting to move around it was too dangerous for her to simply magic the book away.

She looked up and shook her head as she chuckled. Maria was still fast asleep, her head now resting on the seat headrest. Mary gently poked Maria’s cheek, giggling when a hand lazily rose to swat away her finger.

“Maria, we’re here,” Mary whispered as she now shook Maria’s shoulder.

Maria’s eyes fluttered open and she grinned sleepily at Mary. She seemed confused for a moment, turning her head this way and that to look at her surroundings. “Wharwe?” she mumbled through a hand that was covering a yawn. Maria looked down at the blanket covering her body and shrugged as if her tired mind could not be bothered with figuring out where it had come from.

“Arroba.” Mary would be lying if she said that sleepy Maria was not adorable. She saw the sleep leave Maria’s eyes as they filled with excitement.

“We’re here!” Maria jumped up from her seat, almost tripping over the blanket. She glanced down at the blanket with a confused frown. She bent down and grabbed it, looking around her to try to find one of the attendants.

Mary chuckled and reached out to grab it. “That’s mine actually, I thought you looked cold.”

Maria raised an eyebrow and eyed Mary’s suitcase. “How did you manage to fit this in there with the rest of your clothes?”

Blue eyes widened as Mary realized she just made a mistake. “If you roll up your outfits instead of folding them, you end up with a lot of room left over,” she lied. She thought that she would be used to the guilt of lying by now but it still made her stomach twist into ugly knots.

Luckily with her brain still drowsy from the nap, Maria accepted the lie without incident. As Maria reached up to grab her backpack, Mary waved her fingers at her suitcase, using magic to make enlarge the space inside without making the suitcase physically bigger. She placed the blanket inside and zipped the suitcase shut just as Maria shrugged on the pack.

They left the train and Mary began leading the way to the hotel. Maria pointed at different buildings and gave a personal story each time. Mary hummed when appropriate to show that she was paying attention and chuckle when Maria gave a particularly interesting anecdote.

“I had no idea you were such a trouble maker Maria,” Mary giggled when the younger woman explained that  _ she  _ was the reason why a sign that said  _ DO NOT CLIMB _ in bold letters was placed on the side of a building with vines growing on the walls of an old pub. 

“I just wanted a better view,” Maria pouted playfully.

“For what might I ask?”

Maria smiled devilishly at Mary. “So I had a better vantage point for water balloon attacks.” Maria shrugged at Mary’s raised eyebrows, “The boys were making fun of me! They deserved it.”

“And why were they making fun of you?”

Maria’s playful attitude dimmed to one of shyness. She played with a lock of her hair and glanced away. “I was reading about the history of the art in Arroba.”

Mary smiled gently and bumped shoulders with Maria. “That is nothing to be made fun of. In fact, I would say that learning about the history makes you a bright woman.” She looked around her surroundings and spotted a street sign. Walking over to it, she read,  _ Luna Road.  _

Grinning widely, Mary pointed down the street. “We’re close to our hotel. How about we check in and you can show me your old school?”

“That sounds good,” Maria agreed. She allowed Mary to lead the way, frowning a bit as she looked at the restaurants lining the road. Each looked more expensive than the last, holding fewer and fewer customers. “Mary,” she asked, “where exactly are we staying?”

The older woman only chuckled and hurried her pace. She glanced behind her and could practically see the wheels turning in Maria’s head. Mary turned the corner and stopped abruptly, Maria almost walking into her.

In front of the two women was the Lunar Hotel. The first thought that came to Mary’s mind was that it looked more like a palace than a place where people stayed for weeks at a time, if they could afford to that is. The marble that made up the hotel was painted gold and the entrance was big enough to allow two bulls to charge in at once with enough room for them to swing their heads. Each of the five stories had a balcony in the middle, the railings carved to look like the teeth of a skull. The sign of the hotel was lit by at least a hundred candles and Mary shuddered to think of the poor person who would have to light them all at night and clean out the wax the following morning.

One glance at Maria and Mary knew the younger woman was trying to figure out how to say that the hotel was too much without sounding rude. Before Maria could open her mouth to protest at the fact that they were staying at a very expensive hotel, Mary grabbed her hand and walked quickly into the hotel. She nodded hello to the bellboy dressed in a pristine red suit who opened the door for them. He looked genuinely surprised that Mary acknowledged his existence and smiled at the two of them. 

The inside of the Lunar Hotel was even ritzier than outside. Plush couches and chairs were strewn about in a close circle with a large rounded mahogany table in the middle of each circle. In the center of the room was a fountain that held a statue of a man looking down at the guests, presumably the person who established the hotel. The silver metal was obviously polished daily and the stern eyes seemed to follow the two women as they walked deeper into the lobby. Mary had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the statue, some humans could be so vain. Mary could count on both hands how many people were staying at the hotel. All of them turned their heads to look at the two newcomers and quickly gave a dismissive sneer at the fact that they were carrying luggage. They must have assumed that they were the staff who showed up late. One middle aged man even muttered something to his twenty-something wife, who giggled obnoxiously at the joke.

Mary kept a tight hold on Maria’s hand as the younger woman began to move towards the rude man. Maria glared halfheartedly at Mary who only mouthed the words ‘ignore them’ as she moved further away from the rude man. She pulled the younger woman with her to the front desk situated in the back of the lobby. The man behind the polished wood looked down at the two and put the papers he was viewing off to the side with a heavy sigh. Once again Mary squeezed Maria’s hand gently as the younger woman looked as if she was about to have a few choice words to the receptionist. 

“Name?” the man said with a bored tone, not even bothering to look at the two women as he checked his tie.

“Mary Beth,” Mary answered, her voice laced with irritation.

The effect was immediate. The receptionist’s mouth and eyes popped open comically and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He sat up straight, too straight to be remotely comfortable, and looked at Mary with a smile as if she had just become La Muerte, which Mary did consider. “Miss Beth, we weren’t expecting you until later.” He took out a key and handed it to her, his hand shaking somewhat. “The suite is still not ready for you just now but if you like, you and your friend can enjoy the pool in the back. It’s most refreshing!”

Mary glanced at Maria who was hiding her laughter behind her hand. Shaking her head slightly, Maria informed the receptionist, “Actually, I was hoping that we could drop off our bags in the room and explore Arroba for a bit. Would that be all right?”

A muscle twitched in the man’s lips but he hid it with a gracious smile, however Mary could still easily read the distaste in the receptionist’s eyes. “Of course it is. You can leave your bags here and I will take them up to your room for you.”

“Thank you.” 

The two women left their bags with the receptionist who barked out an order. The bellboy that had opened the door to them scurried to take the bags and with one glare at the man and a smile to the two, trudged away to the suite. Mary felt a little bad for the boy; she had hoped that the receptionist would be the one to carry their bags. She made a mental note to leave a very generous tip for the bellboy and nothing for the receptionist.

As soon as they left the hotel, Maria burst in laughter. Her shoulders shook with her laughs and soon Mary joined in. “H- he looked so su-surprised!” Maria managed to wheeze out, leaning heavily on Mary for support.

“I know,” Mary chuckled. “I thought his eyes would pop out of his head, they were open so wide!”

Maria hummed in agreement, still leaning on Mary slightly. She stood up and Mary found herself missing the body heat. Maria thread her fingers through Mary’s and nodded towards the direction they had come in. “The school’s that way. If you still want to go see it,” she added.

In response, Mary began walking down the road, not missing the small smile gracing Maria’s face. The two walked in companionable silence, simply enjoying the sun on their skin. Mary took in the beauty of Arroba, pointing out some of the murals that were painted on the sides of various shops and restaurants. Most of them depicted herself as La Muerte in the Land of the Remembered, frowning down at Xibalba who scowled back in his palace in the Land of the Forgotten. Mary felt a tinge of guilt at the murals, she and Xibalba had their differences yes, but she did not realize that the mortals viewed them as such opposites, forever pitted against one another. A fleeting thought whispered how in some aspect, the painters were still correct, she and Xibalba rarely spoke to one another, and in most of their meetings, they were wary and guarded their true motives from one another.

Mary’s train of thought abruptly halted when she noticed that Maria had stopped walking and was currently looking at her in concern. A quick glance told Mary that they had finally arrived at Maria’s old school. “Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts,” Mary explained.

Maria nodded but still looked worried for the older woman. “You do that a lot,” she commented.

Mary started, it was true that the past week she found herself deep in her thoughts, but she hoped she had eluded Maria’s eye. Apparently not. Before the younger woman could ask what her thoughts were about, Mary walked over to the school’s entrance. There were two columns made of old looking brick surrounded with vines that seemed to grow out of the stone itself. In between the two columns was a rusty iron gate, the sign with the words, “Convent of the Women of Perpetual Purity” welded at the top. Right under the name was a lion roaring at an invisible enemy. In front of each column was a little garden of various sweet smelling flowers. The flower beds were circled by stones, each the same size as the one next to it. She fingered the rusty iron gate with a soft frown, eyeing the lock that kept the gate closed. Looking over her shoulder she asked, “Are we allowed inside?”

Maria nodded and began prodding the various rocks that surrounded the gate with her boot. She rolled some of them over and back for a minute or two before she broke out in a triumph grin. Bending low, she scooped up a rock that was situated in front of a white lily. She tossed the rock into the air once and caught it easily as if it weighed nothing.

It took Mary a bit longer than she would like to admit before she realized the rock must be a fake. Her suspicions were confirmed when Maria scratched at the surface until a key was popped out of its holder. She grinned over at Mary as she unlocked the iron gate. “The nuns had a strict rule that students weren’t allowed to go outside after dark.”

“So naturedly all of you did?”

Maria chuckled mischievously as she pulled the tugged the lock open. “Of course. The nuns knew but most of them grew up here so they understood that it was a rite of passage for the newcomers. They ‘dropped’ this key so we could sneak back in.” She placed the key back into its hiding spot and put the rock snugly back in its place. Instantly, Mary could not tell which rock held the fake key. 

“Are you sure that it’s okay if we go inside?” Mary asked. 

Maria only flashed her a grin and opened the gate, wincing as the metal creaked loudly. When she saw that Mary was still on the other side of the gate, she sighed. “Yes, we’re allowed,” she said with a great amount of exasperation, chuckling at the half-hearted glare she was rewarded. 

Mary walked over to Maria, glancing behind her in longing. Maria laughed and weaved an arm through Mary’s, tugging her along the stone path. “Don’t worry. If the nuns catch us I’m sure they’ll recognize me.”  

Mary muttered something under her breath but the building in front of her caught her attention. At first she thought it was a castle of some sort but after a moment she realized it was the church. Mary had to tilt her head back to see the tip of the roof. She grimaced at the gargoyle sitting there, his maw opened in a silent screech as he glared at the sun. She spied two more gargoyles, as ugly as the first, glaring at opposite directions. She guessed that each gargle represented each direction, the one on top of the church’s roof for east and the two she saw for the directions north and south. She knew that if she and Maria were to go to the other side of the church, they would find the gargoyle that represented west. 

Her eyes lowered to look at the stained glass. Like the ones from San Angel, Mary could just barely see herself as La Muerte sitting in her golden throne. For some reason Mary could not fathom, she felt a sense of resentment at the glass and turned her head to look at other details of the church. She noticed that there was some sort of expansion and unlike the church, the sides did not have any of the exquisite carvings or stained glass. 

“That’s where we have our classrooms,” Maria said, sensing what Mary was about to ask.

“Why doesn’t it look like the rest of the church?”

“Because this place wasn’t always a private boarding school,” Maria answered with a shrug. The two started walking towards the church as she explained. “The church was first built as a convent for women who did not believe they needed a priest to worship, or at least that’s what the nuns told us.” Maria leaned towards Mary and whispered, “I personally believe that they just got sick of their priest telling them what to do.” Mary giggled at this. Maria continued, “After a while, they needed to find a way to get money so they decided to open up the school. The first students became very interested in the religion the nuns were studying and so they added the classrooms to the church itself. The old building eventually became the current dormitory for the students.”

The two women took a left at the church, Mary doing her best not to meet the eyes of La Muerte. They walked for about ten minutes before they stopped in front of the dormitory. It was newer than the church but still had a worn feel to it. It was made entirely of brick with a mahogany door etched with soft swirls. Several of the numerous windows were lit, signaling that there were occupants inside. 

Mary glanced at Maria and saw that the younger woman was smiling, lost in memories. Maria took a step closer and whispered, “For most of my life, this was my home.” She looked down and played with her fingers, “I was so angry when I first got here. My father,” she wiped at her eyes in embarrassment and Mary placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort, “he sent me here because he thought I wasn’t a proper lady.” She gave a chuckle but it was weak. “I guess he was right though.”

The older woman frowned as she squeezed Maria’s arm to get her attention. “He was wrong. A woman who would stand up and fight for her town is a woman others should look up to.”

Maria sniffed and offered a small smile. “Thank you.” She wiped at her eyes once more and nodded towards the dormitory. “Do you want to go inside?”

Mary shook her head. “No, let’s go walk around a bit more.” 

Maria showed her relief on her face. “Okay.” The two began to walk to the right of the dormitory. The grass was so green and dotted with occasional daisies. There was a lone oak tree in the middle of the garden which donned a sign that said ‘DO NOT CLIMB.’

“Before you asked, yes I was the reason for the sign. I used to hide in the branches so I could escape the boring classes and just read. After a while though the nuns found out and they were so  _ mad. _ ” Maria grimaced and Mary chuckled at the expression. “They thought that making me take kung fu and fencing would be a suitable punishment. After a year I was the best student in both studies.”

Mary chuckled as a sudden image of her fighting the leader of the banditos, Chakal. “For some reason you being good at fighting and swords doesn’t surprise me.”

“It shouldn’t!” Maria looked up and saw that the sun had moved a lot since their exploration of the school. “Come on, it’s getting a little late. Let’s go before the nuns find us and run us off their property.” Maria began to walk away and she looked over her shoulder at the older woman. “It’s illegal for nonstudents to be on their grounds.”

Mary’s eyes widened and she stared slacked mouth at Maria, causing the younger woman to laugh. She hurried over to Maria, hissing in her ear. “You said we wouldn’t get in trouble!” 

“If we get caught,” Maria said slyly back. The two women retraced their steps in a hurried pace, Mary looking over their shoulder in case a nun suddenly came running around the corner. She spared the church one last glance, frowning at the glass of herself. 

The two slipped out of the iron gate, Maria locking the two sides with practiced hands. The two walked back to the hotel in silence. Maria only broke the silence when they walked down one street and saw an old building with two stone lions in front. “That’s my favorite library; maybe tomorrow I’ll take you there.” 

“I would love that.”

Their arms were entwined as they entered the hotel lobby. It was as packed as it was before and everyone looked down their noses at them like before. Mary once again had to fight the urge to reveal herself and stop the rude people from looking at them as if they were inferior just because they thought the two women had less money.

The same receptionist smiled at the two but neither women was fooled. He glanced down at his paper with something that looked like agitation. “Hola, Miss Beth. Your room is finally ready for you and your guest. He will lead you to your room,” the receptionist said as he jerked his head towards the same boy who took their bags.

Unlike the receptionist, the bell boy gave a genuine smile. “If you two would follow me.” 

Mary nodded in respect and followed the bellboy. He led them up the stairs to the topmost floor. She glanced to Maria and almost smirked when the younger woman looked at the one door in confusion.

“Thank you,” both women said. When the bellboy turned to leave, Mary made a gesture for him to stay. “Here, for your help.” She gave him a large tip and grinned when he took the money with ill hidden shock.  It was obvious that he had not received many tips or simple thank yous. “What’s your name?”

“Mike.” He pocketed the money, his hand placed over the stuffed pocket as if he were to let go it would disappear. “If you two don’t mind me saying, you are one of the kindest guests I have ever met.” He glanced down and asked, “Are you going to tip the receptionist?”

“No, he doesn’t deserve one.” The bellboy grinned at this and left the two women. Mary looked back at Maria, “Close your eyes.”

“Why?” Maria asked but she did as she was told. 

“Because I said so.” Mary gently grabbed her hand and opened the door. She guided Maria to the middle of the room and turned around so she could see her reaction. “Now, open them.” 

Maria did as she was told, her mouth opening in awe as she took in the room. She was in the kitchen with a glass table to the right of her. On it was a bowl filled to the brim with exotic fruit. Right in front of her was the living room. When Mary had first walked into the room, she thought for a moment that she was back in her castle. The walls were painted a soft gold with beautiful swirls of pink and purple, creating a skull with flowers for eyes. There was a lovely brown loveseat situated behind a table carved from stone. There were two doors, one at the left of the room and one to the right of the room, hiding the two bedrooms. 

Maria paid them no mind, or anything in the suite. She walked to the glass doors that led to the balcony. She slipped outside with Mary following closely behind. The view even took Mary’s breath away. The sun was setting, coating everything in a relaxing red hue. From where they were, the two women could see most of Arroba, the streetlamps shining the various houses and shops. They could even see Maria’s school twinkling in the distance. 

“Beautiful,” Maria whispered. She rested her hands on the rail, leaning forward slightly to drink in the scenery.  She looked at Mary in awe. “Thank you Mary, for everything.” She rested her head on Mary’s shoulder, smiling in content.

“You deserve this.”  _ And so much more _ , Mary added silently in her head. She felt Maria tense next to her and she looked down at the younger woman in confusion. “You do,” she insisted, “you have done so much for your town and friends.”

Maria began to play with her fingers again as she chewed her bottom lip nervously. Mary took a peak downwards and was shocked to find that Maria’s wedding ring was missing. “Maria, your ring.”

The younger woman looked down, her train of thought apparently halted. She held up her hand so Mary could see the little tan line of where the ring used to be. “Oh, did I forget to tell you? I gave the ring to Joaquin; he should at least have it even if he can’t wear it.” 

Mary found herself smiling as she pictured Joaquin and Manolo wearing matching rings. “That is amazing. Every time I think I know the depth of your kindness, you surprise me.”

Once again Maria’s bottom lip was caught in between her teeth as a vibrant blush spread across her cheeks. “No one has ever told me something like that before.” Brown eyes stared into blue as both women smiled at one another, Mary silently giving Maria the confidence to tell the older woman what she was thinking. After a moment however, Maria’s eyes streaked to the now set sun and then back to Mary. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She brushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear and coughed. “W-We should go inside. It’s getting a little chilly.” 

Mary did not miss the flash of disappointment in Maria’s eyes before the younger woman walked back inside. She glanced back over her shoulder, wondering what Maria was so nervous about. When she looked back in front of her, she noticed that Maria was standing in the middle of the living room, presumably waiting for her. “I suppose we should go to sleep then,” Mary said with a kind smile. 

“Yes we should, we do have a big day after tomorrow,” Maria said, not meeting Mary’s eyes. 

Once again Mary saw the glint of disappointment in Maria’s eyes, but they were also tinged with guilt. She nodded towards the door to her left. “That is your room. Buenos noches Maria.”

She heard Maria repeat the parting back to her as she slipped inside her own room. She was not stupid, she knew that something was bothering Maria but she could not find any fault with their day, besides the encounters with the receptionist. She continued to ponder the sudden change in Maria’s behavior as she took off her shoes, leaving them by the door. She stripped off her white skirt, bra, and blue coat, leaving her bare except for her underwear and white shirt. Mary slipped under her covers, sighing as she felt silk glide over her skin. Snuggling deeper into the bed, the woman fell into a deep slumber filled with old private schools and nervous Marias. 


	10. I won't turn you away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT BETWEEN TWO CONSENTING ADULT WOMEN

 

Mary made a whine deep in her throat as she snuggled further into her covers, mumbling under her breath for whoever was knocking on the door to leave her alone. Still, a moment later she head knocking once again. Blue eyes cracked open as she grumbled louder. She sat up and glared at the door.

The woman climbed out of the bed with a deep frown. “One moment please!” she said to the mystery person behind the door. She walked with a tired stumble to the barrier and threw it open without a second thought.

Maria with a fist still raised to give another knock, gave a start. She blushed violently as she stared at the older woman with wide eyes and her mouth slightly agape. 

It was at this moment Mary realized that she was still wearing her pajamas, or rather only a shirt and underwear. She looked down and sported own her blush as she took in half naked form. “Oh sorry, let me get my clothes.” She turned around and went to get her clothes, feeling eyes on her back the whole time. She put on her skirt but did not bother with the jacket. 

She looked over her shoulder and did not miss Maria watching her intently. There was something in the younger woman’s eyes. “Is something wrong, Maria?” she asked.

Maria shook her head, whether it was to answer the question or to stop her train of thought she did not know. The look was replaced with a soft smile. “Nothing Mary! I was just uh, going to ask if you wanted breakfast.” 

Mary grinned and nodded. “That sounds lovely.”

“Good! Well uh, I’ll start cooking it now! Do you like eggs?”

Mary nodded again and followed Maria into the kitchen. She knew something else was going on if Maria was acting so nervously. She just hoped that her lack of attire earlier did not upset the younger woman.

It was only when Mary sat down at the table and took a glance outside did she notice how early it was. The sun was only now peeking up from the horizon; the buildings she could see from her seat still had their lights out. She looked back at Maria and wondered if the younger woman had to get up this early for the orphanage and if this was just a force of habit. Something however told her that this was not the case.

She watched Maria cook, not missing the spared glances the brunette gave her. After five minutes, a plate of steaming eggs was placed in front of her, along with a side of toast. Maria sat opposite of Mary with her own plate and immediately began eating.

The two tried to strike up a conversation, well at least Mary did, but it always died into a soft silence. Mary was a little concern with how Maria eyes were glued either on her plate or the world outside of the glass windows. She eventually put it down to Maria wanting to watch the sun rise and she agreed with her, the sight was just spectacular. 

She glanced back at the younger woman and watched as brown eyes dart back to the balcony. “Maria,” Mary almost sighed when the other seemed reluctant to acknowledge her, “why did you wake me early?” The question was not accusatory, only filled with innocent curiosity.

Maria tried to shrug but the motion was more like her shoulders jerking up and down as her cheeks became flushed. “I thought that we could explore the city before the streets become crowded. We could see that library I was talking about yesterday.”

Mary nodded at the answer but she knew that the younger woman was not telling her the whole story. The two cleaned up their plates and went to their respective rooms to take a shower. As Mary stood under the gushing water, she thought back on Maria’s behavior. She did not like Maria keeping secrets from her but deep down she knew that she deserved it. She had been lying about her identity from the beginning after all. 

She pushed these thoughts away as she shut off the water. She got dressed and promised herself not to spoil today with sad thoughts. When she left her room she noticed that Maria was already dressed and appeared to have been waiting for her. 

“Shall we?” Maria asked with a smile. 

The two left the suite without another word to one another and Mary found herself wanting to break the silence, but she did not know how. They left the lobby and took an immediate right, Maria leading the way. 

The first thing Mary noticed was that there were very few people out and about. She looked at Maria but the younger woman was looking firmly in front of her. She bumped shoulders against hers to get her attention. “I bet the hens aren’t even up.”

Maria shrugged, this time the gesture more relaxed. “You know what you say about the early bird and the worm.”

Mary knew that she did not imagine the bitterness in Maria’s voice. She raised her eyebrows in shock but did not say anything. 

“We’re here,” Maria said, unable to hide some of her shame at her earlier tone. 

Mary looked up and mumbled something about how beautiful the library was. It was the same library they saw before but now that they had time, Mary could appreciate the beauty of it. The building was made of marble, a few cracks revealing the old age. There were two stories, each level holding five windows that looked out of the front of the building. The two lions placed in front of the staircase looked as if they were just built a few years ago. The amount of scrutinizing detail in the lions impressed Mary, she knew that the greatest masons had died decades ago; she had the pleasure of meeting them. Apparently the two lions were a product of one of them. If she were to place bets, she would guess they were the product of Michelangelo. There were two benches next to each of the lions, the back rests made of metal welded to create a heart in the middle. 

Maria’s strange actions disappeared from Mary’s mind as she walked up the stone steps, her heels clicking softly and opened the oak door. She heard Maria follow her and the door click close.

The inside of the library was even more impressive. There were far more books than in Maria’s mansion which quite frankly shocked Mary. The shelves that held the books were obviously crafted by hand from red wood trunks and the surface of the wood was polished until every inch of it gleamed. Mary did not bother trying to guess how many books were in the library, she simply assumed that there were thousands. She saw that there were two stairways on either side that led to the second floor of the building and could only peak at even more bookshelves. 

Maria laid a hand on Mary’s shoulder and nodded forward. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

Mary allowed Maria to lead her deeper into the library. In the middle of the room was a case that was not unlike an altar made of ancient stone. Inside the glass was only one book and Mary almost called out in alarm as she saw the cover. It looked exactly like the Book of Life and she had a fleeting worry that Maria had read it. If she had, she would know her story and her real identity.

Maria grinned gently, “This is my favorite book. It was donated by a stranger before I came here,” Maria said, studying the cover. “No one really knows if this is what the real Book of Life looks like.” 

“It is,” Mary whispered. She knew exactly who donated the book and for a sudden urge to smack Xibalba. She suppressed the feeling by chuckling at Maria, “It’s strange that your favorite book is one that you cannot even read.”

“I know,” Maria said with a shrug. She still smiled at the book as she explained, “I can’t read it but just think, all of the world’s stories are held in that one book. Imagine having all that knowledge right at your fingertips.” She nodded at the book. “To have that kind of wisdom would make you a god.”

Mary’s head snapped towards Maria as her heart faltered for a moment. “You would want that kind of power? That knowledge is a burden Maria, only one being has ever read the contents of that book and believe me, he regrets it ever since.”

“The Candlemaker? But Manolo says that he reads from the book all the time.”

Mary shook her head. “No, he may read some stories, as does La Muerte,” she added as an afterthought, “but he never read  _ all _ of them.”

Maria’s face flashed in understanding. “Xibalba?” she whispered, almost as if saying the god’s too loudly would result in him appearing before them.

The older woman nodded with a small frown. “Yes,” she said. She looked down at her hands and sighed. “It was how he cheated in the first wager between him and La Muerte.” She had to force away the shudder.

“How do you know so much?” Maria asked.

“I told you, I used to be a museum guide,” Mary replied with a shrug. She was surprised how easy it was to push away thoughts of Xibalba while she was with Maria. It was best for her not to dwell on it. And so, she grabbed Maria’s hand and led her away from the book, “Let’s go see upstairs.”

Maria nodded, her confused frown transforming into a smile. “You’re going to love this!” The two walked up the stairs, Maria leading once again. As they reached the top, she turned around with a mischievous smile. “Close your eyes. It’s only fair!” she added when Mary looked apprehensive. 

Mary sighed dramatically but did as she was told. “Don’t let me bump into any shelves okay?” she mumbled.

“Of course,” Maria said with a chuckle. She led Mary to the middle of the second floor. She watched Mary’s face and chewed at her bottom lip again before she whispered, “Open them.”

Mary opened her eyes and was confused; everything on the second floor looked much the same as the first. But then she glanced up. She stared at the ceiling with a slack jaw. Painted on the ceiling was a mural of the Candlemaker. He smiled down at the two women as candles floated around his body. The Book of Life was painted next to him, slightly opened so visitors can see the vast expanse of knowledge the book held.

“I always wondered what his beard felt like,” Maria whispered.

“It’s probably extremely soft. I hear his beard is made of clouds.” 

Maria made a content humming sound in the back of her throat. The two studied the mural in silence for another five minutes before the younger woman said, “There are two more places I want to show you today.”

“Oh?” Mary asked with a grin. “Where would they be?”

The younger woman smiled with only a hint of smugness. “We’re going to first see the painting I did and then I will treat you to a  _ very _ delicious dinner.” She held her hand up to halt whatever protest Mary was about to give. “You brought me here and booked us in a ridiculously expensive hotel  _ which _ you provided all of the money for I might add. This is the least I can do.”

Mary tilted her head as she chuckled. “There’s no way I can win this argument, correct?”

Maria nodded with a sly grin. “Basically yes. Now let’s go.” She grabbed Mary’s hand gently and led Mary out of the library. They walked through the streets and this time there were a few couples here and there. When they were a block away Maria whispered, “Close your eyes.”

“Again? Perhaps I should have brought a blind fold.”

A blush spread through Maria’s cheeks. “This is the last time, I swear.” 

A heavy sigh came out of Mary’s mouth and she closed her eyes. She did not feel Maria grab her hand but rather two slim hands press gently into her back, guiding her down the road. Maria only spared the handsome gallery a glance before slipping inside with Mary. She ignored the odd stares she got as she navigated the older woman through the various exhibits. 

Mary felt the hands slip from her back so she stopped walking. “Now can I open my eyes?” she teased.

“Yes.”

The older woman almost frowned at the hint of nervousness in that one word. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped. Even if Maria did not lead her to the painting, she would know that she was looking at Maria’s work in an instant.

The painting was of San Angel from the view of the tree outside the town. Her eyes followed the bridge, alight with hundreds of candles, to the town. San Angel was basked in the lowering sun’s light, creating a tranquil effect that most artists struggle to achieve. There were bright spots were the sun caught the metal decorations of the town, the biggest coming from Maria’s mansion, completely blotting out the entire house.

Mary tilted her head at this; she could see every building of San Angel except Maria’s home. She looked at Maria who was chewing her lip anxiously. Mary felt a sudden flare of protectiveness as she leaned against the woman softly. “It’s so stunning.”

Maria hummed noncommittally as she looked at her own painting. “Thank you.”

The older woman looked at the blotted out mansion. “You don’t have to tell me, you know. Whatever happened between you and your father is your business.”

A slow smile graced Maria’s lips as she released a relieved breath. “Thank you,” she whispered, threading an arm through the older woman’s.

“Just tell me one thing.” Maria looked apprehensive as she nodded. “Are you happy?” Mary asked quietly.

It was a few moments before Maria nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I am happy.”

“Good.” 

Now that Maria escaped the question she feared, she could frown openly as Mary’s attention was brought back to the painting. “I hate it,” she murmured. At Mary’s confused expression she explained, “I did this painting a few months after I came here.” The flash of understanding on Mary’s face caused Maria’s heart to give a soft pang. “Can we go?”

Mary nodded and they began to explore the art museum. They stopped at few of the exhibits and Mary moved the two away from anything that might remind Maria of San Angel. They finally halted in front of a statue of La Muerte after visiting an exhibit dedicated to the Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

The statue was smiling down at the two women as her eyes held so much kindness and understanding. She was standing up with her hands resting on her hips, her sombrero shadowing her face. Even made of stone, Mary could easily imagine the candles lit with flickering flames.

“This is my favorite statue,” Maria said. “It took the mason years to finish it and countless slabs of stone as he began the statue from scratch again and again.”

“Do you like her? La Muerte I mean?” The question was out of Mary’s mouth before she could better think it. 

“I do,” Maria confirmed. Mary released a breath she did not realize she was holding. “She is so beautiful and kind. She’s the only one who is Xibalba’s equal, and unafraid to go up against him when he tries to mess with innocent people’s lives.”

Mary felt a small blush spread across her cheeks in embarrassment at Maria’s praise. “Do you still like her? Even after her wager with Xibalba?”

Maria hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I do. Without her, the banditos would have overrun San Angel. I owe her my life.” 

Mary knew that they were starting to enter dangerous ground and quickly squeezed her hand. “I bet she would tell you that it was the least she could do after everything she put you through.”

Maria gave a soft nod as she nudged Mary. “Maybe, but we would’ve taken a few of those fuckers with us.”

The older woman stared at Maria in shock, unused to such venom in the younger woman’s voice. “Hey, let’s not dwell in the past. Take me to that restaurant you told me about.”

The younger woman grinned and led Mary out of the art museum, seemingly forgetting the dark atmosphere from before. The two walked down the streets as Maria talked about the different exhibits they did not have a chance to see. 

After a few minutes, they had arrived at a fancy restaurant situated at a corner of two streets. There were tables set outside, each adorning two lit red candles and topped with a red umbrella. Mary glanced inside the restaurant and spotted a silver chandelier. All around were tables similar to the ones outside but they had a white sheet covering the table. Maria walked to the hostess and soon they were steered to one of the tables at the back of the room. Mary noticed that this one was different from the others; it was more secluded and held a vase of beautiful roses. 

The hostess turned up her nose and stalked away, stating that their waiter would be with them shortly. 

True to her word, a waiter came before one word could be uttered between the two women. “What would the two gorgeous women like to drink?”

“Give us your most expensive red wine and please leave the bottle,” Maria answered, smirking slightly at Mary’s shocked expression. The waiter nodded and walked away.

“Maria, you shouldn’t have,” Mary said pouting. “Taking me here is already enough.”

“Like you said to me: you deserve it,” Maria replied with a shrug and grin. 

The waiter came back and gave them their bottle of wine and two glass goblets whose legs were made of silver, the metal cupping the actual glass in a floral design. Maria poured them both a glass and smiled when she took a sip. “I chose the right wine,” she said. 

Mary traced the pattern with the tip of her finger as she looked around at the restaurant. Maria started playing with the rose’s pedals as she watched Mary observe their surroundings, taking a few sips from her wine every once in a while. 

“This place,” Mary said as her eyes filled with awe, “how did you find it?”

The younger woman shrugged, her fingers stilling as she wondered if she should tell the truth. After a moment she sighed. “A boy took me here once,” Maria said. “He was really sweet but I only saw him as a friend.” 

For a brief second jealousy reared in Mary’s stomach before she quenched it. “That’s nice,” she said and the subject was abandoned at that. She and Maria started talking about little things that bore no significance. Mary noticed that the two stayed away from topics that had any connection with San Angel but did not try to bring it up. Doing so may damper the peaceful mood and so Mary asked about which subject Maria liked most when she attended the private school.  The waiter came with their food and conversation was halted as they ate, both women trying to think of another topic that they had not already exhausted.

“How do you like Arroba so far?” Maria asked suddenly, pushing her empty plate away.

Mary smiled as she mimicked Maria’s actions. “It’s amazing,” she offered. “I’m glad we came here.” Blue eyes twinkled as she recalled, “The library and the art museum were so magnificent! I had so much fun exploring them.”

“And what about breaking into my old school?” Maria asked with a sly smile.

To Maria’s surprise, Mary only chuckled as her eyes danced with mischief. “I enjoyed that part too. Once we were outside the gate. What would have happened if we were caught?”

Maria shrugged as she resumed her playing of the rose’s pedals. “Probably get kicked out if they realized I was a former student”

“And if they didn’t?”

A wry smirk was Mary’s only answer. “Do you want dessert?” Maria asked. “They make the most delicious éclairs.”

Mary shook her head. “No, I’m much too full. I think it’s time for us to retire back to our room.”

Maria hummed in agreement and placed the correct amount of money on the table. She made sure to take the half full bottle of wine as she followed Mary back into the streets. 

The two women walked in silence, enjoying the beauty of Arroba at night. A few couples walked towards or away from restaurants, small smiles on their faces. Mary giggled when a particular boy blushed bright red with a stupefied expression on his face as the girl he was with stood on her toes to brush her lips across his cheek. Her attention was pulled to the brilliant display of their hotel. The streetlamps casted the hotel in a brilliant glow as it caught the golden paint.

“Beautiful,” Mary whispered in a hush sigh.

Maria rested her head against Mary’s shoulder, nodding once in agreement. The two made their way into the hotel, studiously ignoring the receptionist and waving to the bellboy. 

Once they were in their suite, Maria placed the bottle of wine in the kitchen before strolling over to the balcony. Mary had a sudden sense of déjà vu as she followed the younger woman. Maria leaned against the railing, much the same way as the night before. The two studied the sights of the world bellow, Maria humming a random tune.

“What was your favorite part of Arroba?” Mary asked.

The humming halted for a fraction of a moment, as though Maria forgot she was not alone. “The art museum,” she said with a small grin. “I-I forgot how personal art can be.” She looked down at the city and cleared her throat to get rid of the emotions clogging it. She looked up and she asked, “What about you?”

“I have to say the library. The Book of Life replica was really remarkable,” Mary said, ignoring the moment of unease emitting from Maria. She grinned down at the sight before them, the twinkling lights creating an image like the moonless night. “Arroba is amazing, it is no wonder why you love it here.”

“I prefer San Angel,” Maria murmured. She looked up into the sky, “You can’t see the stars here.”

Mary tilted her head back and saw that the younger woman was right. She glanced back down at Maria and saw that she was tapping the same tune she was humming on the metal. Recognizing it to be the same song the younger woman had sang on her wedding day, Mary placed a hand on Maria’s tapping finger and gave it a soft squeeze. “Come on, it’s getting a little chilly.”

Maria nodded and the two went inside to the warmth. Mary disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and strolled back to Maria with two cups in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other. Maria grinned her approval and sat down at the loveseat. Mary joined her and poured the two women a glass of wine, placing the bottle on the round table in front of them. 

The two began to whittle an hour away questioning each other about what they could do the next time they decided to take another adventure. Mary claimed that Cuba could be an interesting place to visit but Maria argued that they could learn more if they went to Rome or Greece to study the ruins. Mary realized after her second glass that the conversation was mainly fueled by alcohol but she could not deny that she was having great fun. Nor could she deny that she would have taken Maria on any adventure she so desired at any point of time.

Mary took a sip of her wine and looks at Maria. “Can I ask a question?”

With her bottom lip in between her teeth, Maria nodded her consent. Mary wondered how much of the wine was making the younger woman say yes.

The older woman decided that trying to figure out a way to ask politely would be a waste of time and she bluntly asked, “Is San Angel still your home?”

Maria sputtered as the wine she was drinking went down the wrong pipe. Mary patted her on the back as Maria began to breathe properly again. She blushed in embarrassment and played with her fingers as answered in a slightly raspy voice. “Not for a very long time.” She offered Mary a small smile, “But it is now.”

Mary grinned and could not stop the fleeting thought of how breathtaking Maria was when her eyes sparkled the way they do now. She hurriedly chased away the thought with a generous drink from her glass, sighing as she felt it warm her stomach.

“Why?” the older woman asked before gasping as realization dawned on her face, causing Maria to giggle with a slight slur. “Have you found someone?”

Maria shook her head in shock before refilling her glass and topping off Mary’s to buy herself some time. She swirled the liquid in her cup as she shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

The question made Mary’s already fuzzy mind skip at the words. “What do you mean you aren’t sure?”

A slow blush spread across Maria’s liquor-reddened cheeks as she shrugged again. “I mean I’m not sure.” She looked down at her glass as she confessed, “I’ve been thinking about this one person but…”

“But what?” Mary placed her glass down and rested her free hand on Maria’s knee in an act that was supposed to be reassuring. Her thumb absentmindedly brushed across the fabric of Maria’s dress. “What’s wrong Maria?”

The younger woman took a deep breath and downed what little wine she had left in her glass. She placed the glass next to Mary’s and sighed. “Have you ever been in love before?” she asked suddenly.

Mary knew that she should be thinking about someone but their image was too blurry to make out. All she could see was Maria staring at her with intense brown eyes waiting desperately for the answer.

“I’m not sure,” was all Mary could offer.

Maria acknowledged the admission with a nod. “I’m terrified of letting that person know how I feel. She-“

“She?” Mary interrupted.

“Yes she,” Maria confirmed, her voice wavering only the slightest. “She has been so nice to me and I’m afraid, no, terrified that once I tell her, she’ll be disgusted with me.” Slowly, allowing Mary to stop her if she wished, Maria covered Mary’s hand and stared at them with a sad frown. “It would be better if I just keep quiet.”

Marry shook her head and turned her hand so she may hold onto Maria’s. “Don’t ever think like that,” she said, gently turning Maria’s head with her free hand so the younger woman was forced to look at her. “Life is far too short for you to be scared. Too many have wasted their lives just wondering “what if” and pass on to the Land of the Remembered with half-filled lives. If you love this woman, tell her.”

Maria stared into Mary’s eyes, fear and hope battling in her heart. “And if she says yes?”

Mary chuckled, a hand cupping Maria’s cheek without her knowledge but she did not pull her hand away. “That part is easy. Live your life with her and when you pass on, continue to live with her.”

The younger woman smiled and the fear disappeared without hesitation. She nodded and leaned forward to brush her lips against Mary’s, keeping her eyes opened to see the other’s reaction.

Mary pulled back when she felt the soft pressure on her lips, gaping at Maria. Her hand swiftly came up to cover her mouth where it continued to hang open in alarm.

Tears welled in Maria’s eyes as she abruptly stood up, almost knocking the now empty bottle of wine to the floor. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’m going to bed now.”

The younger woman only took a step away from the couch when she felt a firm grip on her arm. She looked down to see Mary staring up at her, shock the only emotion readable on her face but even then it was only her slightly wide eyes that gave it away. She tried to tug her arm free from the hold but found that Mary was quite stronger than she looked.

“Mary please, I didn’t mean t-mph!”

Whatever words died away into a muffled sound as full lips crashed against her own in an almost painful manner. Maria struggled to retain her balance as she instinctively kissed back, a shiver of desire running down her spine as she felt a wet tongue swipe at her bottom lip.

“Mary…” she whimpered as she felt the other woman’s body press against her own.

“Bed,” the older woman panted as they finally broke the kiss to receive much needed oxygen. Mary went back to kiss Maria with a hunger she had not felt in ages. She did not know what became of her. She did not know why she was suddenly drunk with not only wine but also Maria’s taste. All Mary knew was that she was far too hot, her clothes constricting her breathing, and that she needed Maria. Now. 

Maria nodded into the kiss, both hands tangling in red hair as the two made their way to Mary’s room with clumsy grace. She felt herself be push roughly onto the mattress but no complaint came out of her mouth. She simply pulled Mary’s body flush against her, her legs sliding up Mary’s hips. Her ankles crossed to trap Mary but the older woman did not seem to mind in the slightest.

In the back of Mary’s mind, she knew that she should not be doing this. Both of them were drunk and this will surely lead to regrets in the morning. But as whimpers escaped Maria’s mouth as she licked and sucked at her pulse point, Mary found that she could not care. Her teeth scraped against hot flesh with only the barest pressure but the moan awarded to her caused Mary to bite down harder. Hips bucked up into her waist and her body trembled. 

Hands instinctively grasped at Maria’s ass and pulled her closer. Mary tugged at the loose collar of Maria’s dress, growling, “Off.” 

Maria shuddered, the contact between the apex of her hips and Mary’s waist causing her to cry out.

“La-lace in the back,” Maria managed to gasp out. She pushed Mary off of her, apologizing for the hurried movements with a deep kiss. Her fingers faltered with the tie and eventually Mary made a circle with her finger, indicating that Maria should turn around.

When Maria’s back was presented to her, she brushed brown hair to the side, revealing the lace. Unable to stop herself, Mary leaned forward and placed an open mouth kiss on the skin available to her. She felt more than heard Maria moan and the vibrations traveled throughout her body to focus on her core. With skilled fingers, she untied the knot and tugged the dress down to reveal Maria’s breasts.

Maria covered herself on instinct, blushing vibrantly at Mary’s apparent eagerness. She felt Mary’s hands covering her own and lips brush against the mark that Mary bestowed on her moments before. A quick swipe of a tongue caused Maria to tilt her head to offer up more skin for Mary’s ravishing. She groaned as a kiss was placed on her shoulder, soft hands tugging gently at Maria’s arms.

“Do not worry Maria, you are beautiful. More beautiful that you will ever know,” Mary mumbled into Maria’s neck. With a pace that spoke volumes of Maria’s nervousness, her arms left her body and one hand tangled itself in Mary’s hair as a safety beacon.

Mary’s hands cupped Maria’s breasts, the pads of her thumbs moving across pert nipples. She did not miss Maria’s gasp or her hips rising up in only a fraction of an inch, the message of need clear. Mary would not let herself give into it so quickly, they had all night to explore each other’s bodies. 

Maria let her head rest against Mary’s shoulder as she felt the older woman’s hands continue to play with her with expert ease. A gasp and a lengthy moan escaped her mouth as she felt her nipples being squeezed and rolled between gentle fingers. She took a quick glance at Mary’s face and felt a sudden flare of smugness at the lust illuminating blue eyes. She played with Mary’s jacket collar as she whispered, “You too.”

The words seemed to pull Mary out of her lust-filled stupor. She looked down at herself and noticed that she had far too many clothes on. A thought popped in her head and she grinned mischievously. She pulled Maria’s hands to the first button of her jacket. “You do it,” she whispered back.

Maria gulped at the order, unable to deny how it sent another delicious spark of electricity through her body. Unlike her dress, Maria made quick work of the jacket, tossing it away to some spot on the floor. She took hold of Mary’s white shirt and glanced up, silently asking for approval. When the older woman nodded and raised her arms up, Maria pulled up the shirt and let it sink to the floor. As flesh was presented to her, she could not resist licking a trail up to Mary’s white bra, smirking as a hand pulled her head closer to the older woman’s body. 

“No teasing,” Mary whimpered, her hands going behind her back to undo her bra. When she felt it slack tellingly, she tossed the garment away with the same carelessness Maria showed her jacket and shirt. 

Apparently her wish had gone through Maria’s head as full lips circled around one nipple and fingers played with the other. She sucked gently, making sure not to be too rough and cause Mary discomfort. 

She did not have to worry however. Mary moaned and tugged brunette hair as she whimpered, “Harder please.”

Maria headed Mary’s wishes and scraped her teeth against Mary’s nipple. The result was something that Maria swore to herself that she will never forget, she would be damned if she allowed all the alcohol to cloak this memory in a haze. Mary’s hips rose and bumped against Maria’s clothed thigh. Mary whimpered as she continued to grind herself against Maria’s thigh, trying to get some friction against the spot where she needed Maria most.

Maria looked down and Mary slowed her grinding. Maria would have none of that, she sat back down on the bed and pulled Mary with her so the older woman was kneeling above her. She pulled her dress up so that her thigh would be bare and grabbed Mary’s hips in a firm hold to make her grind down on her thigh. Mary gasped and buried her head in Maria’s shoulder, unable to keep her pace from becoming a little frantic as she finally received the pressure she needed. She could feeling her skirt loosening as Maria pull down the zipper, but that only made her grind down harder.

The younger woman leaned back and smirked at the sight before her. Mary, without the younger woman for support, leaned back on her hands and threw her head back with an unguarded moan. She continued to move her hips against Maria’s thigh, blushing when she realized her essence was making the flesh wet and slippery.

Maria seemed to realize this as well because her smirk widened and she grasped Mary’s hips again to steady her movements. She felt her own need rise with every moan, whimper, and gasp that escaped Mary’s mouth but she did not try to sate herself. She wanted to watch as Mary lost herself in the pleasure  _ she  _ was giving her and she knew that if she brought attention to her need Mary would stop and take care of her.

_ We still have the whole night for such things,  _ Maria promised herself.

“M-Maria please, I-I’m close,” Mary gasped, her fingers curling to hold the blankets beneath her in a vice-like grip. She cried out when she felt one of Maria’s hands begin to play with her breast again and the other pushed the skirt up to reveal soaked white underwear. She looked down and cursed at the sight, almost coming undone right then and there.

Maria leaned forward and kissed Mary’s ear before whispering into it, “Just hold on a little longer mi amor.”

“I-I can’t!” Mary all but moaned, pulling Maria’s body against her. The feeling of the younger woman’s breasts pressed up against her own, coupled with the absolutely divine thigh pressed up against her sex, was making Mary delirious with lust. “Please, I need you Maria!” she begged, emphasizing her words with a particularly hard thrust.

“I know,” Maria hummed. With a little difficulty she persuaded Mary to get up on her knees with an insistent tap on her hipbone, causing the older woman to moan in disappointment and want. Maria brushed aside the ruined underwear and slipped two fingers inside Mary’s folds, not bothering with any foreplay. Mary had enough teasing as it is. 

It only took a few thrusts of Maria’s fingers to send Mary falling off the cliff of ecstasy. She cried out and held on tight to Maria, her hips thrusting frantically as she rode out her orgasm. The younger woman’s name tumbled out of Mary’s mouth in a consistent flow as she tried to regain some sense of self. After a few minutes, Maria felt Mary slump against her form with a content and rather satisfied sigh. She slipped her fingers out of the older woman and while Mary was looking up at her, she slowly licked the fingers clean.

Mary made a face and tried to swat Maria’s fingers from her mouth but found that she did not have the motivation to do so. So she just watched, panting heavily as Maria hummed at the taste of her essence. 

“Delicious,” Maria offered after she finally removed her fingers from her mouth. She looked down at the spent Mary and giggled. “Was it good for you?”

“Very,” Mary said, her lips tilted in a lazy smile. A moment after though, she frowned, looking at Maria. She placed a hand where flesh met dress on Maria’s toned stomach. “You didn’t-” Mary left off but the rest of the question was clear as she glanced down at her almost naked form.

“I don’t need to.” It was a complete lie and both women knew it. Hearing her name being called out during Mary’s climax caused the fire in between Maria’s legs to progress into an inferno. She pressed her thighs together in a vain attempt to alleviate the pressure but the sight of Mary was making it very hard for the younger woman to concentrate on anything but her desire.

Any exhaustion in Mary’s eyes vanished as she saw Maria glance down at herself. She grasped at the end of Maria’s dress and tugged upwards to signal she wanted it off. Maria giggled and pulled the dress up and over her head, allowing the fabric to crumple into a heap on the bed. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Maria asked, almost shyly.

Mary managed to tear her eyes off of Maria’s body, still clothed in her knee high boots and lacy underwear that made Mary’s mouth water more than she cared to admit. “Most definitely.” 

Quick hands undid the buttons on the boots and tugged them off along with the socks. She kissed up the right leg, taking specific care to nibble and suck at the flesh of Maria’s inner thigh. Once she got close to Maria’s sex, she began to kiss up past it to Maria’s lips. 

Maria kissed her desperately, her hands skimming down Mary’s back to squeeze her ass. “No teasing,” she gasped out.

“Patience,” was all Mary offered as she started to kiss back down Maria’s body. She glanced up to see Maria staring down at her, a finger in between her teeth to hold back the moans. She continued to stare into brown eyes as her tongue darted out to taste the flesh in between Maria’s breasts. She felt hands tangle in her hair and try to push her head to where she needed Mary the most. “Patience,” she repeated, this time with an undercurrent of authority in her voice.

Maria only responded with a slight moan and a shake of her head. 

Mary took pity on the younger woman and renewed her efforts to glide down Maria’s body. When her intention became clear, Maria whimpered and closed her legs. “T-that, I uh never-“

Mary silenced the younger woman with a swift bite to her left thigh, close to the spot where she had ridden it. “It’s okay,” she assured with a lick of the mark she just left. “I’ll take care of you.”

Maria hesitated before nodding, forcing her body to relax as Mary gently opened her legs to settle in between. She could not however, still the quivering as she felt hot breath go against her most intimate spot, the only barrier between them a flimsy lace underwear. 

The older woman looked up and was relieved when she was rewarded with the barest of nods. She took the underwear in between her teeth, not missing the groan the sight caused Maria to make, and with a pace that was more to tease Maria than to savor the moment, dragged the clothing down until it dangled on Maria’s ankle. 

She kissed back up the leg, stopping just short of Maria’s sex. Mary took an experimental lick and shuddered when she tasted Maria’s essence. Grabbing a hold of both thighs and resting them on her shoulders, she took a deeper swipe of her tongue, just barely parting the folds of Maria’s sex.

“Please –  _ oh _ – just fuck me already!” Maria cried out, her body needing more relief.

Mary groaned at Maria’s coarse language, the vibrations causing the younger woman to grip at the sheets under her for some purchase. She licked at Maria’s sex with new vigor, chuckling as curse words escaped Maria’s mouth. She moved her hand away from Maria’s thigh to part her lips and expose her clit. She took a quick lick at it and had to hold Maria’s hips down as they bucked up. She paid particular attention to the bundle of nerves after that discovery, humming softly at Maria’s “oh my god’s” and whines as the older woman lavished her. 

She began to feel Maria coming closer to her peak and glanced up to a wonderful sight. Maria’s head was pressed against the covers as she moaned without any restraint, one hand playing with her own breast and the other clenching at the pillow above her head. The younger looked down with half-lidded eyes, smiling softly as her hand left her breast to brush Mary’s hair out of her face.

Mary shifted her weight to get more comfortable and dipped her tongue in Maria’s opening, relishing the view of Maria’s eyes closing in ecstasy. She felt Maria’s thighs begin to tremble against her and replaced her tongue with two fingers. She continued to thrust them in and out of Maria as she slid up her body.

Maria pulled her in a deep, if a little sloppy, kiss, groaning when she tasted herself. “A little more,” she pleaded.

Mary grinned and curled her fingers twice, feeling Maria’s walls clench and tremble against her. She slid them out of Maria and like the younger woman, licked her fingers clean.

Maria watched her with tired eyes and pulled Mary close to her. “That was amazing,” she panted. Mary hummed in agreement and rested her head on Maria’s bare shoulder. She felt the younger woman play with her hair and giggled. The giggle ended with a shiver as a draft hit Mary’s sweat slickened body. 

The younger woman looked down in concern and moved out from under Mary. The older woman was about to pull Maria back when she realized that Maria was pulling up a blanket to cover them. She sighed in relief as the soft downy brushed against her naked skin. Maria joined her a moment later and pulled Mary closer so they could spoon, the younger woman’s arms around Mary’s waist. 

Mary lifted Maria’s hand to her mouth and kissed it. “Goodnight Maria.”

Maria grazed her lips against Mary’s neck as she whispered back, “Buenos noches mi amor.”


	11. Why?

Mary opened her eyes gradually, confused and cold. The first thing she realized was that there was none of the amazing warmth she felt during the night. The next was that she was alone in the bed with Maria’s side disarray as if the younger woman clambered out of bed in a hurry. And finally, the rhythmic thudding and occasionally curse was coming from the same person who should be in bed with her right now.

Mary turned her head to look at Maria. As she had suspected, and dreaded, Maria was looking around the room for what appeared to be a missing boot with wide eyes that flashed to every spot in the room, except for the bed. She was clothed in her dress and one boot. However, the collar of the dress was dangling from her right shoulder, indicating the amount of haste she threw the garment on. Mary could see the random marks that littered across that shoulder, ones that she caused and ones that she hoped Maria would enjoy having.

Mary sat up while the dread in her belly bloomed to her entire being. She spotted the missing boot, dangling on the edge of the bed, which explained why the younger woman did not see it. Maria still did not notice Mary had woken as she paced to the other side of the room, her hair whipping about with each turn of her head.

“It’s over here.” Mary grimaced at how weak her voice sounded, as if it had already given up all hope that of this trip would not become what she feared it would be.

But of course the fates had to make it so. Maria gave a yelp and looked over her shoulder to see her boot. She walked briskly to the bed and snatched the footwear, still refusing to allow her eyes to even glance at Mary.

Even though Mary could not meet the younger woman’s eyes, she could feel the emotion roll off of the younger woman. Regret.

Maria struggled to get the boot on, more curses flying out of her mouth as a hand gripped her head in pain. 

Mary found herself blushing; more than one of those colorful words have been murmured out the night prior.

But of course, any remote memory of the night not being a mistake but a night of passionate lovemaking was obliterated with two simple words. 

“I’m sorry,” Maria finally said, still looking down and away from the other woman.

“For, for what?” Mary despised the tremor in her voice and how it caused Maria to flinch as if she raised her hand to strike her. 

“Last night, it should have never happened. I -We - were drunk and things got out and hand and-” Maria raised her arms in an exasperated gesture that tore apart Mary’s heart. “What I’m trying to say is-“

“It was a mistake.” Mary finished the sentence for her, unable to hear the words coming from Maria’s mouth. 

Maria flinched again and Mary tried to ignore the flash of pain in the younger woman’s eyes as her head snapped up to look at her. Slowly, Maria nodded. “H-How much do you remember?” she asked.

“How much do you want me to remember?” 

“Mary it isn’t like-“

Mary lifted a hand to silence the younger woman. Deciding she had had enough, she got up from the bed, not bothering to be modest and cover her naked form with the sheets. Maria had already seen everything the night before. She did not respond to Maria’s sharp intake of breath or to the fact that a miniscule amount of hunger she so recently felt entered brown eyes. She simply went about the room to collect her clothing, seizing them into a bundle in her arms. “Can you please go so I may change? Afterwards, we can go to the train station and never speak about this again.”

“W-wait, you need to understand,” Maria started, taking a step forward and grasping Mary’s arm.

That was her mistake. Mary narrowed her eyes at Maria who let go with a hurt expression. “No, what  _ you  _ need to understand is that I need to get changed and we need to get to the train station. Now go.”

Maria looked hurt for a second longer and that expression only stoke the anger burning inside Mary. The younger woman nodded and turned to leave the room. “I’ll go take a shower and make breakfast,” was all she offered as she shut the door gently behind her. 

As she heard the soft click, Mary threw her clothes on the messy bed, trying to ignore the image of Maria laying there that popped up in her mind. She marched to her bathroom and glanced at the mirror. She saw another woman, much like herself, except her hair was messy and the blue eyes were red and puffy with the warnings of the need to cry. She grimaced at the mirror and hurried into the shower, turning it on and sighing as the hot water rolled down her back and calmed her. She rested her head on the wall next to her, her face tilted up so she could feel the water fully. After a few minutes, Mary began to wash herself, swallowing down a quiet sob each time she found a mark left from Maria’s lovemaking.

_ No, _ Mary thought bitterly,  _ it was only fucking.  _

Once she was clean, Mary dried herself off and got dressed. She packed everything without a care, grateful that her suitcase was magically enlarged inside so she could simply throw everything into it. If she were forced to fold all of her clothes, she might catch a whiff of Maria’s perfume on them.

Mary with a full suitcase, left the room and saw that Maria had already cleaned up and was currently cooking breakfast. Ignoring the younger woman, Mary placed her suitcase near the door and sat down on the loveseat. She watched the sun rise as the smell of bacon and eggs hit her.

“Breakfast is ready.” The sound of Maria’s voice almost startled Mary. It was so meek and filled with guilt, the exact opposite of the woman who placed the two plates of food on the kitchen table.

Mary left her seat and walked over to the table, sitting down with a murmured ‘thanks.’ She did not speak to Maria as she ate. As time ticked away with the pace of a snail, the tension between the two women went from uncomfortable to unbearable. A soft clang of silverware against china caused Mary to glance up and notice that Maria had only pushed around her food, eventually giving up and placing the fork on the plate none too gently, causing the sound she heard. When Maria turned her head to look at the sun, Mary gasped. On her neck was a bruise, the mark Mary no doubt left on her the previous night. Despite the fact that Maria had made it clear that she regretted the night, Mary could not resist the small swell of joy at seeing the bruise marking Maria as hers. Maria must have noticed her staring because she let her hair down, successfully covering the hickey. Mary looked down at her food, what little appetite dying with the small gesture. 

_ How did this happen?  _ Mary worried in her head.  _ Everything was going wonderfully and suddenly, I am no longer a friend? _

The sudden scrape of chair legs on the floor brought Mary back to reality. Maria grabbed her plate and scraped the uneaten food into the trash. It was only when the younger woman had walked to the door did Mary get out of her own seat to do the same with her plate. She joined the other woman and together, they left their suite. Mary stopped by the reception desk and dropped off the key without glancing at the man behind the desk.

“I hope you come again.” The man sneered in return. The glare he earned managed to shut him up. 

Mary grinned at the bellboy and once again gave him a hefty tip. It seemed that the young man saw through the smile as he had accepted the money with concern in his eyes. He nodded to the two women and went back to work, glancing behind him occasionally to watch them disappear in the crowds on the street. 

Sooner than either woman expected, they arrived at the train station. They boarded their train without comment and sat in an empty cart at the way back of the train. Maria stared out of the window and played with her fingers relentlessly. Mary meanwhile dragged her eyes along the paragraphs of her book without taking a single word in. 

The sudden jerking informed them that the train had begun to move and Mary let out a breath of relief. She counted down the amount of time she would have to suffer the suffocating tension before she could leave Maria to her own whims and return to her beloved castle. The older woman was shocked at the eagerness she wished to part ways with Maria. She beat back the feeling by trying to read at least one page of her book with little success.

More than once Maria looked like she wanted to say something but each time it ended with her giving a sad sigh and looking out the window. Mary tried to ignore how her heart lurched each time this occurred. She also ignored how she did not know whether it was in relief or fear.

After what felt like days, the train slowed to a stop. Mary and Maria went to grab their respective bags and followed the stream of people exiting the train. There was one instance that Maria was pushed into Mary’s back by impatient travelers. Mary steadied the other woman and quickly left the train before Maria could express any gratitude.

Mary spotted the group before Maria did. She tried to walk away before the three could notice her but she was not so lucky.

“Oi!” Joaquin called out, effectively gaining everyone in the train station’s attention. “Mary, where are you going?”

The woman in question heaved a sigh and smiled as brightly as she could at the hero. She walked over to the group consisting of Manolo, Joaquin, and Chuy. She saw the pig dart towards Maria and almost crashed into the woman in his hurry. 

“Hola Manolo, Joaquin. How are you?” 

Manolo raised an eyebrow at the tone Mary was using. His instincts that saved him countless wounds in the bull ring rang in warning at the tired look in Mary’s eyes. Something had gone wrong in Arroba and by the way Maria was ignoring Mary, he could guess at what.

Joaquin, even if a decorated hero, did not see the signs as clearly as Manolo. “How was Arroba?” The name rolled off of his tongue with a suggestiveness that made Manolo shake his head in dismay. 

“It was fine,” Maria said quietly, petting Chuy. The pig sniffed at the woman in hopes of treats and after a moment he barked in disbelief. He studied his friend’s face, tilting his head in confusion. He glanced between the two women and like Manolo, sensed that something was off. 

“Just fine?” Joaquin asked with a playful scoff in his voice. “You two are practically glowing! Let me guess, you two were only out long enough to get into the hotel and –OW!” Joaquin rubbed at his side where Manolo had elbowed him as he glared at the man.

“Enough Joaquin,” Manolo meaningfully looked at Mary, then at Maria, and finally at Joaquin with his eyebrows raised.

Joaquin followed the pattern and understanding lit his face. “Oh shit,” he whispered. 

“If you would excuse me,” Mary said abruptly. “I have to get back to my house. Buenos dias everyone.” Mary felt everyone’s eyes on her back as she walked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maria gazing sadly at her but the older woman did not look at her. If she did, she might do something stupid like telling her it is all right when it wasn’t. 

Mary walked into a dark alley and, without looking at her surroundings to see if there was anyone there, waved a hand with her eyes closed. A cloud of marigold petals swirled around her being and when she opened them they had disappeared.

La Muerte was standing in her throne room but she was not alone as she had hoped. In front of her were the Adelita twins. Both of them bowed in respect, sharing a secret glance to one another. 

_ Something is wrong with our ruler,  _ they both thought.

La Muerte waved away the gesture with a small smile. “Has Carlos let lose one of the bulls again?” Even the goddess winced at the lack of wit in the joke.

“No we were just-“ one of them started, her eye patch catching the natural glow of the castle.

“-about to tell you that-“ the other continued.

“-everything is fine here,” they finished together.

“Good,” La Muerte breathed. “Thank you for keeping an eye on things while I was away. Please tell the other Sanchezes that I will throw a grand fiesta as a way of showing my gratitude.”

The twins grinned at this and turned to leave the castle. 

La Muerte watched them go and sighed. She sat down in her throne and felt something glide down her cheek. She reached up and brushed it off with her fingertips. Looking down, she was shocked to see that it was a tear. Her head fell to her hands and her body shuddered once with a sob.

“What have I done?” she asked. But of course, she received no answer.

  
  



	12. Another Chance

It has been two weeks. Two weeks since La Muerte had last seen Maria. Two weeks since she entered the Land of the Living. Hell, it’s been two weeks since she even left her castle. The people of the Land of the Remembered have expressed their concern for their ruler, never having  _ not _ seen her for such an extended period of time.  But no matter how many invites she received, to both fiestas and bull fights, she stayed in her castle. She even casted several spells around the castle so Xibalba could not visit her. Every few days, she would feel him trying to prod at the protective charms but he always stopped a few moments later. He knew better than most that when La Muerte needed time alone, she truly meant to be alone.

Of course, despite the distance between herself and the quaint little town, she could not stop her thoughts from returning to Maria. The way she smiled and giggled at her joke as if it was something only the two women could understand. The way Maria would act so responsible one moment and then so childish the next. The way her eyes sparked in the starless night on that balcony in Arroba. The way those same eyes that showed such passion during that same night, shined with regret and unshed tears the following morning. 

La Muerte sighed, grimacing at how it trembled at the end. She shook her head and slammed a fist down on the armrest of her throne. The chair gave a warning groan and several miniscule cracks littered the gold surface. Staring down at the damage, La Muerte cursed.

_ I need to calm myself,  _ the goddess scolded herself. She could not act like this, like some teenager having her heart ripped apart by her first love.

_ But gods does it hurt.  _ La Muerte tenderly touched the spot where her heart was and was shocked at how she did not feel the wetness of her life’s blood on her fingertips. She pulled her hand away and stared at it in grotesque fascination as it traced the new imperfections on her throne with the gentleness of a feather. 

“One simple night,” she murmured, “caused all this pain. It is no wonder why immortals who play with the lives of men are frowned upon.”

A deeper frown spread across her face as she felt an all-too-familiar pull on her consciousness. Twice Chuy called her and both times she ignored the summoning, even if it felt like her mind was being bashed into the sharp rocks of a cliff. 

La Muerte huffed and tried to prepare herself for the pain that was sure to come. She just hoped that Chuy would give up after an hour. The last time she was eventually crying from the sheer agony.

She stayed in her throne, her teeth grinding together as the pulling evolved to an incessant wrenching. A tiny whimper left her lips, her fingers gripping the ends of her throne as she shook her head in vain to rid herself of the yanking of her subconscious. 

Unable to bear it anymore half an hour later, La Muerte let out a howl of agony. She grasped her head, her sombrero falling to the floor without a whisper of a sound.  _ I won’t give in, _ she promised herself.

But no matter how strong her will power, the summons pounded against her mind until she finally whimpered a small, “Yes.” Immediately, the pressure disappeared and she was able to lift her head with only a fraction of the pain thumping in her mind in protest of the movement. 

Forgetting the sombrero still lying on the floor dejected, La Muerte waved a hand and marigold petals swirled around her. She noticed that some of them were less vibrant in color, curling inwards in the barest evidence of decay. 

She could not ponder on the state of her petals however, as they were already evaporating into the air. Mary Beth took a cautious look around and saw that she was back in San Angel’s cemetery. Blue eyes took in the state of her “grave” and she gasped. Some of the pink paint was chipping and a crack was just starting to spread across the headstone. She reached out and traced the imperfection, frowning in puzzlement.

An agitated bark brought her attention away from the grave. She saw Chuy sitting on his haunches looking up at her in moderate distaste. He gave a huff and began to walk away from the woman, not bothering to provide any explanation at all.

Mary could only sigh before hurrying over to follow the pig. When she was close enough to reach out and brush her fingertips against him, Chuy picked up his pace. Mary shook her head and started to walk faster, almost coming to a jog as the pig weaved between the crowds in the street with surprising agility. 

The goddess knew where it was the pig was taking her before he started to slow down. She saw the town hall’s clock loom up from the distance as she slowed to a wary stroll. She considered taking a sharp left and heading into a dark alley but knew that she would not have time to battle through the crowds before Chuy noticed her attempt at escape.

With a hard lump forming in the pit of her stomach and throat, Mary finally walked out of the crowds. Maria was sitting on the fountain like the first time they had spent time with one another, her hair a little disheveled and her fingers never stopping their playing of one another. The younger woman glanced up and a ghost of a smile passed on her lips before she glanced away.

In the background, Mary heard Chuy give a sad bark and trot away back into the crowds to give the two privacy. She walked up to Maria and sat down next to her, making sure to keep a foot of space between their bodies. “Chuy found me,” she said lamely.

“I thought that you ran out of town the last time I sent Chuy to find you,” Maria whispered. It sounded so tired and so small that Mary had thought that a child who had hurt herself was talking to her. Maria shook her head with a tiny laugh that was devoid of any humor, “I really should have made you tell me where you lived. At least then I would have known if you’ve left for sure.”

“I was thinking about it.” It was not the complete truth but Mary had every intention of never setting foot in San Angel for at least another hundred years. 

“I’m glad you didn’t.” The statement was tentative, full of uncertainty and even a bit of fear. “Mary, please you have to understand. That night I-“

“If we’re going to have this conversation,” Mary interfered, the lump in her stomach growing into a rock, burning her with its frigid intensity, “we should do so in private.”

Maria did not say anything but nodded after some hesitation. She got up on her feet and her right hand twitched as if it longed to reach out and grab Mary’s. Instead it clenched into a tight fist and Maria waited for Mary to stand on her own.

The two walked towards Maria’s home in awkward silence. Neither of them tried to break it, fearing that if they did then one of them would say something that will cause a scene. It took them far longer than ever before to reach the impressive mansion. They went inside and Mary saw that Joaquin and Manolo were in the foyer talking. They stopped with guilty expressions as they caught sight of the two, giving away the topic they were discussing.

“Mary, we didn’t think you would be back,” Manolo said.

“We thought you ran off,” Joaquin added, his chin jerking up to include Maria in the “we.” Unlike Manolo, Joaquin did not bother hiding the bitterness he felt or the accusing anger in his blue eye.

“As you can see I didn’t,” was all Mary could offer.

Joaquin took a step forward, his mouth opening to give an undoubtedly vicious remark.

_ Not that I don’t deserve it,  _ Mary found herself thinking. 

Manolo squeezed Joaquin’s shoulder to get the hero’s attention. “Don’t,” he said in a voice that left no room for negotiating.

Joaquin glared at him and then Mary before slumping his shoulders. He pointed a finger at Mary and warned her, “We are going to have a serious talk afterwards. And don’t you even fucking think that you can run away from it like you did with Maria.” Mary didn’t bother trying to correct Joaquin as she knew that the hero would not listen to her. With a scoff, Joaquin stomped out of the room. Manolo gave Maria a sad, apologetic smile and a stiff nod to Mary before following Joaquin. 

“Let’s talk in the library,” Maria said. She did not wait for a response before walking out of the foyer herself. 

Mary followed quickly, dreading whatever conversation Joaquin was waiting for them to have. She knew that she was not in the wrong but she also knew that Joaquin saw Maria as a close friend, perhaps even a sister of sorts. 

Once they were inside the library, Maria shut the door with a soft click behind them. She went to take her usual seat but after a few seconds she got up and started pacing, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Mary followed her with her eyes as she sat down in a plush seat. She kept her hands settled on her lap, fighting the urge to play with the cuffs of her shirt.

After a minute of intense silence, Maria turned her head to look at Mary and then quickly looked away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I already know that.”

“No,” Maria took a deep breath, stilling her feet so she could turn and fully face Mary, “you don’t. I’m sorry for the way I reacted,” she took another calming breath, “after  _ that  _ night.” Her eyes lowered to her hands, unable to look at Mary’s reaction. “How much do you remember?”

“How much do you want me to remember?” Mary could almost laugh at how this conversation was going. They were saying the exact same things they did in Arroba. 

“A-all of it. I want you to remember all of it.” Maria came over and looked like she wanted to sit next to Mary but with some reluctance, sat in her usual couch. “I don’t regret it.”

Mary was sure she heard wrong. “What don’t you regret?”

Maria gave a sarcastic laugh, a hand lifting to wipe her brow. “That night! I don’t … I can never regret that.”  She leaned back, her eyes closing as if she was recalling a precious memory. “I have never felt anything like this and I care for you so much. That night was beautiful and I-“ she left off, neither women needing to hear the unsaid words.

“If you really don’t regret it then why did you say what you did?” Mary tried to shove the hope that was blossoming in her chest but it still rang out in her words. “Why did you say that it was a mistake?”

The younger woman raised her hands and let them slap down against her legs. “I was afraid, Mary! If we were ever caught, do you have any idea what the town’s people might do?” Tears of fear sprung in brown eyes and Mary could do nothing to resist the urge that told her to comfort the younger woman. She got up from her seat and sat next to Maria, pulling the woman into a tight hug. With the reassuring and strong circle of arms around her, Maria was able to continue. “Manolo and Joaquin warned me how dangerous it was to tell you about my feelings. If you didn’t feel the same way, then so many things could go wrong.”

Mary pulled back so she could look at Maria fully without breaking the contact. “Like what?”

“You might have gotten angry and tell the people about Manolo and Joaquin.”

Mary sucked in a shocked breath. “How could you think that?”

Maria winced at the hurt expression on Mary’s face and wrapped her arms around Mary’s waist as if she was terrified of the possibility of the younger woman leaving. “N-no I just – Mary I panicked,” she said desperately. “You also have a husband. If we took things further than we already did then what are you going to do about him?”

Blue eyes widened as Mary’s brain and heart went still for a moment. How could she have forgotten about Xibalba!? Any guilt that she felt for lying to Maria, even after their night of passion, was shadowed by the mounting remorse in her heart. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. 

“Then we’re stuck.” Mary looked down but Maria caught sight of the tear-filled eyes. “We can’t do anything, not even fix our friendship, until you figure out what you want from this relationship.”

She knew it was selfish and unbearably cruel but the hope and longing that bloomed in her heart could not be ignored. Mary gripped both of Maria’s hands and before the younger woman could pull away, Mary pressed their lips together.

Maria made a startled sound in the back of her throat. She knew that she should push Mary away. Maria knew beyond all doubt that she needed for Mary to understand that they truly could not be together if she was still with her husband. Instead, she broke the kiss to pull Mary close, feeling the older woman’s heart race alongside her own.

“I want this,” Mary whispered into brown locks. 

“Me too mi amor,” Maria said back. 

In the back of Mary’s mind, she heard the rational side of her demanding to know what was she thinking. But as she pulled back to see Maria’s eyes full of happiness, she quieted the voice with three simple words.

_ I’m loving her.  _


	13. Date

Mary knocked on the door of Maria’s mansion. She looked down at herself and barely stopped herself from brushing away any imaginary wrinkles on her sleeveless blue dress. She settled for playing with the petals of the bouquet of marigolds she bought. She would never admit that the action was made to help calm her rampaging nerves. She reached up and knocked once more, wondering if it was too late for her to change the color of her blue dress to red. 

Just as she was about to snap her fingers, Joaquin opened the door. He looked down a little sheepishly as he held the door opened wider, silently permitting Mary to enter the home.

She smiled at him as she asked, “How are you?” She walked inside and stood in the foyer with her hands clasped in front of her. Mary could hear the door close softly, as if Joaquin was afraid that any force would split the wood in half. She figured she did not need to bother hiding her gift for Maria as she continued to play with the flowers. She noticed that Joaquin looked extra groomed than usual, most noticeable were his crisp white gloves and the lack of his medals. Mary raised an eyebrow, “Are you going out tonight?”

The relief in his eyes made Mary grin widen. “Yes, yes I am. Manolo and I are going to ‘practice his bullfighting.”’ 

“I hope you two have fun.” She gestured in the direction of the library, “Is Maria reading?”

Joaquin nodded. “Yep. Oh and nice flowers, I’m sure Maria is going to love them.” He chuckled as if he made a brilliant joke as he left her to go and find Manolo. 

Mary smiled at the retreating form before heading off to the library. She was happy that Joaquin was once again treating her normally. After she had left Maria, she had the conversation that the hero had threatened her with. The matador had sat beside his boyfriend throughout the one-sided conversation, nodding his head to everything the hero had stated. Joaquin was harsh and Mary simply took everything, not trying to explain her side of the story for she knew that deep down Joaquin was only saying the mean things because he cared for Maria. After the man had said his peace, he threatened Mary that if she ever hurt Maria again he would personally take care of her with some of the most creative swear words she had ever heard. Lucky for her, Manolo chose that time to intervene and told Joaquin that he had gone too far. He made it clear, however, that Mary would have to deal with both of them if she hurt Maria. 

Mary’s reminisce ended with an abrupt halt as she spotted the doors to the library. She opened the double doors and like Joaquin had said, Maria was there. The younger woman was wearing her regular dress but upon further inspection, Mary saw that she was wearing a different necklace, this one a golden skull that had small rubies for the eyes. Mary glanced up and saw that Maria had opted to leave her hair down to flow down her back. A small blush spread across her cheeks as she remembered the last time she saw Maria’s hair free from its usual ponytail. Perhaps she would be able to make Maria keep her hair down for the rest of the night. The thought made a tingle of excitement ran down her spine. She hid her gift behind her back as she cleared her throat to catch Maria’s attention.

“Mary!” Maria exclaimed. Her cheeks flushed as she hurried over to the older woman. “Quick, close your eyes!”

Mary giggled but did as she was asked, or rather ordered. “It is not like you are naked Maria.” She could practically feel the blush that was spreading on Maria’s face as she heard the younger woman walk quickly back to her usual seat.

“Oh be quiet.” Mary heard some rustling and a soft “Aha!” She listened to footsteps come closer to her and smelled a sweet perfume that reminded her of lavender. “Open your eyes mi amor.”

The older woman could not deny that another tingle had run down her spine at the words “mi amor.” Blue eyes opened and took in the bouquet of roses that Maria was presenting her. Mary grinned and leaned in to brush her lips against Maria’s. “Thank you for the flowers.” She brought her hand holding her own bouquet forward so the younger woman could see her own gift. “I brought you some as well.”

Maria gasped at the sight of the marigolds and took them as Mary grabbed her roses. Maria inhaled deeply and a grin graced her lips at the scent. “I’ve always loved marigolds. They’re my favorite,” she said shyly, peaking up at Mary through her lashes.

Mary felt a pang of lust but she hid it away with a confident smile.  _ I am becoming addicted to her, _ she realized.  _ But by the greatest of gods do I love it. _ “I’m glad that I made the right choice. It was either those or several pink orchids.”

A playful hum escaped Maria as she looked down at her flowers. “A good second choice but one that wouldn’t have earned you a kiss.”

Mary’s eyes glowed in mischievous intent as she tilted her head to the right. “A kiss? I do remember giving you a kiss but never receiving one myself.”

Brown eyes darkened as Maria leaned in to press her lips against Mary’s. Both women were careful that their flowers would not get squished between their bodies. Maria let her tongue reach out and only just touch Mary’s lips. Mary responded eagerly, parting her lips so that the kiss could deepen. The older woman heard a tiny whine in the back of Maria’s throat and quickly pulled away, not missing Maria’s disappointed look at her action.

“What’s wrong?” Maria asked, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth in a nervous gesture.

Unfortunately for Mary, that action only served to stoke the embers of lust that were rapidly becoming flames. “I want to treat you tonight and if we had continued, I doubt that we would have been able to leave the library.”

Maria considered this for a moment before shrugging. “I wouldn’t mind staying here with you.” Her voice was deeper than usual and Mary had to hold herself back lest she took the younger woman right then and there. 

“Please Maria,” Mary begged, not paying any attention to how breathless she sounded. “I want to show you off.”

The younger woman’s sultry look turned into a pout. “You can’t really show me off if we cannot openly be together.”

Mary heard the slight irritation in her voice and quickly gave her a peck on her cheek. “Perhaps, but I still like knowing that no matter how many men look at you, you are mine as I am yours.” She leaned in further and whispered, “Besides, I believe it is customary for a woman to buy their date a meal before making love to them throughout the night.”

Maria flushed at that and raised an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

“Very much so,” Mary purred. She giggled at how wide Maria’s eyes opened at her remark. She turned around and walked out of the library before Maria could say anything else. She heard the footsteps of Maria behind her and then to the side. 

Maria entwined their fingers and gave Mary’s hand a slight squeeze. The younger woman leaned over and brushed her lips against Mary’s cheek. “Where are we going?”

“To a restaurant befitting someone as beautiful as you.” Mary saw Maria’s face flush at the words. “I think you’ll love the view.” 

The younger woman tried to think of where Mary could be taking her as they left the mansion. Soon though, she gave up as Mary intentionally led through random streets. “You’re not making this easy are you?”

Mary giggled, “Nope. Where would be the fun if you figured out where we’re going?”

Maria grumbled under her breath but she continued to follow Mary around. The younger woman sighed as the two finally stopped in front of a restaurant. She had never been to this restaurant before but had always wanted to. She remembered her and her father walking down the streets to get various groceries and smelling the food wafting out of the open doors. Her father promised her once that they would go eat there sometime. But before he could, he died from a sudden heart attack.

Mary shook Maria from her inner thoughts by gently tugging at her arm. “Come on, the cooks are dying to feed you.”

“They are?” Maria was perplexed; she did not recall meeting the cooks of the restaurant. 

The older woman smiled as she nodded. “They are,” she confirmed. “They’ve wanted to repay you for saving the town.”

“I didn’t save the town,” Maria insisted. “I only made everyone realize that they had the power to protect their family and friends.” Still, she felt a curl of gratitude in her stomach as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Mary hummed, showing that she believed that Maria did more than simply inspire a few people. She walked up to the host waiting in front of the restaurant behind a podium but when he caught sight of the younger woman, he immediately ushered the two women inside. “Mrs. Posada! We were wondering when you would finally come here.” He glanced at Mary with his lips twitching once in a confused frown. “Although we were assuming that your husband would accompany you.” His frown changed to a smile in a second, “But nonetheless, we will show you and your guest the best we have to offer without a penny’s charge.”

Maria nodded in gratitude and the two women followed him up to the other side of the restaurant to the stairs made of metal painted to look darker than a starless night. They went up them and Maria noticed that there were far less diners here than there was at the main floor. The people already seated and eating turned their heads and many smiled at the sight of Maria. 

The host led the two out onto the balcony seating. There was only one table on the balcony with lit white candles situated in every available space without making the scene look as if it was done with a haste. And with the setting sun casting a warm glow, it was romantic without being overbearing, which Mary appreciated. The host glanced at the two women and coughed in slight embarrassment. “When we heard you were going to dine with us, we naturally assumed that it would be you and your husband. We could always blow out some of the candles if it suits you.”

Maria waved away the suggestion. “There would be no need. You obviously put so much work into it that it would be a waste to change even the smallest thing.” 

The host beamed at that. “If you two insist.” He took turns pulling out both chairs and seating the two women. Once that was done, he turned his attention to Mary. “I assume you would like the best wine we have to offer?”

Mary gave Maria a secret wink when the host glanced back at the setting to make sure it was still perfect. “As long as it is red.” 

The host nodded and left the two alone. Now that they were alone, Maria could openly gawk at the scenery and the romantic candles. “Mary,” she whispered, “this is so beautiful.” She reached over and took the older woman’s hand. “Thank you.”

Mary shrugged and grinned at the younger woman. “Like I said, I want to show you off.”

“We’re a little too secluded for you to possibly show me off,” Maria said with a playful tone. 

The host reappeared with a bottle of aged red wine and poured the two women a glass. He placed the bottle on the table and looked between the two. “Now, if this is not too presumptuous, the chef already has plans of what to cook for you two. Or of course, if you two would like to look through the menus I could come back in a few minutes.”

“Oh really,” Maria gasped. “Is that okay with you Mary?” At Mary’s nod, Maria smiled at the host, “Then yes, whatever the chef feels is right.”

“Excellent! The chef will be so pleased to hear this!” The host hurried off, his excitement infectious to both women. 

While they were waiting, they talked about anything that came to their mind. It was unnecessary small talk but both women knew that they could not say the things they truly wanted to in public. So they contented themselves by speaking with their eyes and small touches, insignificant to those who were not paying attention but to them, each caress spoke volumes of feelings for one another. 

The sound of the door opening and closing warned them of the approaching host. The waft of food that came from under the tray’s covering the host was carrying made their mouths water. The man bowed after he placed the tray on the table and with only a little too much flourish, lifted the metal cover.

Mary and Maria stared at the bounty in front of them. The chef did not spare any expense in preparing their meal. Both plates had a steak covered in brown gravy topped with a single basil leaf. Next to the meat were noodles and a well-sized serving of green beans drenched in what appeared to be ranch mixed with bacon. 

The host grinned at the expressions of the two women, making a mental note to tell the chefs that her time and effort were very much appreciated. He waited for the women to take a bite of the steak before asking, “Is the food to your liking?”

“It’s delicious!” Maria exclaimed, realizing a little too late that she still had a mouthful of food. Blushing violently, she swallowed and repeated, “It’s delicious, thank you.”

The host chuckled and bowed his head again. “I’m sure the chef will be pleased to hear you say that.” With that he turned and left the two women alone.

When the door shut closed, Mary smirked at the younger woman. “I cannot take you anywhere, can I?”

Maria pouted as she took another bite. She swallowed and brushed off imaginary food daintily with her napkin, earning a bark of laughter from Mary. “No, I suppose you cannot.”

Mary took a sip of her wine and watched as Maria pushed the green beans further away from the other food with a look of disgust. “You do not like vegetables?”

“No, I just don’t like bacon.” 

The older woman nodded at the explanation and pushed her own green beans away. The two finished their food just in time for the host to come back. He glanced down and frowned in concern when he saw that the green beans were not touched. “Did the choice of vegetable upset you?” he asked.

“Oh no, it was just the bacon,” Maria answered.

“Bacon?”

“Yes, I have a pet pig you see. His name is Chuy and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look him in the eye if I ate one of his brethren.”

Understanding passed through the host’s face as he stammered apologies. “I am so sorry Mrs. Posada! I swear the chef and I had no idea of your pet, if we did I assure you we would not even  _ try _ to think of feeding you bacon!” With each word, his face grew hotter with shame and embarrassment. “I will go inform the ch-“

“There’s no need!” Maria interrupted, chuckling slightly at the man. “It was an honest mistake and besides, the rest of the food was amazing.”

The host sighed in relief and mopped away the sweat that began to bead on his head. “I will be sure to pass on the compliment. Will you ladies like any dessert?”

Mary and Maria glanced at one another and both shook their head. “No thank you,” Mary said. “The meal was very filling as it was delicious. May I have the check?” she asked, smirking at Maria. She knew that the other woman would try to pay for the dinner even if it was Mary’s idea but she would not give Maria a chance.

The host furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced from one woman to the next and back. He could not be sure but the playful look in both women’s eyes was a little more than that between friends. He shrugged mentally and shook his head. “The meal is on the house. It is the least we can do to repay Mrs. Posada.”

Maria blushed at this and tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear, not missing how blue eyes watched the movement. “Thank you so much,” she said with a grin. She stood up and offered a hand to Mary, “Shall we go?”

Mary grabbed the hand and bowed her head respectively to the host. “Thank you,” she said before the two women left the restaurant. 

The host watched as they walked down the street with a sly smile and went inside. He strolled across the room and down the stairs whistling a soft tune to himself. He opened the door that lead to the kitchen and saw a lone woman with her back turned towards the host cutting up vegetables with uncanny precision. Knowing that the chef had not heard the door opening, the host slipped inside and took quiet steps towards the chef. He made sure to wait until the woman had placed the knife down before wrapping his arms around her waist. He chuckled when he felt the chef stiffen in surprise but then relax once he realized who was holding him. “Hola Camila,” the host whispered in Camila’s ear.

Camila made a half hearted attempt at looking disgruntled that the man was trying to distract her from her work. Nonetheless, she turned her head to place a soft kiss on the host’s lips. “Buenos noches Michael. Did they like my food?”

Michael nodded with a grin, plucking a piece of tomato from Camila’s cutting board before the chef could do anything to stop him. “They said it was delicious.”

The chef grunted, “They should. It was free after all.”

Michael only chuckled and reached out to grab another vegetable, this time Camila quick enough to slap the hand away.

              Mary led Maria to their fountain, both women giggling about something but neither knew what it was. Perhaps it was the wine. Mary gently pushed Maria down to sit on the stony surface. She sat down herself and the couple looked up to watch the clouds drift across the sky. 

              The older woman smirked,  _ Maria was right,  _ she thought. 

              “What are you grinning about?” Maria asked, resting her head on Mary’s shoulder and entwining their fingers.

              There was a murmur of warning in her head but Mary pushed it away to answer Maria’s question. “Just that you were right about the stars.” 

             Maria’s lips puckered in a pout but Mary saw the glint in the brown eyes. “Is that all?” Maria asked, moving a little closer to the older woman.

           Mary’s smirk widened as she brought her free hand to tapped her chin in a gesture that hinted she was deep in thought. “Hmm. Yes, I suppose that is all I was thinking about.” She took a quick look around, the feeling of caution again brushing up against her rational mind. She looked down and saw loving eyes stare back at her. “Come on,” Mary whispered, her eyes flitting down to glance at smirking lips before she held Maria’s intense gaze. “Let’s go home for dessert.”

             Maria’s eyes darkened with desire as she stood from the fountain’s ledge, offering Mary a hand. The two strolled back to Maria’s mansion, their arms brushing up against one another with every other step. They stole quick glances at one another, the excitement clear in their eyes. 

          The younger woman all but skipped to her door. She opened it and the two slipped inside. Maria grabbed Mary’s hand and led the older woman up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Mary had no trouble keeping up, feeling centuries younger with each step.

          They ended up in front of Maria’s room. Maria opened the door and the two walked inside. The first thing Mary noticed was the lack of anything that might resemble something that Manolo might own. She turned her head to ask why but Maria explained before she could ask. “When I found out about Manolo and Joaquin, we agreed that we should have seperate rooms.” She walked further into her room and sat on her bed, patting the space next to her for Mary to do the same. “I was relieved to be honest, knowing that I was sleeping in the same bed that Manolo and Joaquin made love in seemed,” Maria thought of the right word and settled for, “invasive.”    
          Mary felt her own sense of relief. She didn’t like the idea of Mary sharing a bed with Manolo at all, even if it was just to keep up appearances that the two were a couple. She looked around the room from her spot on the bed, unable to hide her curiosity. Maria owned a few possessions strewn about the room. Her attention was quickly pulled to several paintings adorning the wall next to the glass doors that led to the balcony. Mary got off the bed to look at them more closely, hearing Maria get off the bed to follow her.

Many of them were of traditional skulls painted directly on the walls. She traced the swirls with the tip of her finger. “Did you do these when you came back to San Angel?” Maria hummed an affirmative, resting a hand on the small of Mary’s back. Mary moved on to the framed drawings. They were all scenes of nature like valleys between mountains and meadows and the ocean. “What about these?”

“Many of those were places that I read in my books.” Maria was quiet for a few moments. “After my father passed on, I dreamt of moving far away from San Angel and starting anew.” She rested her chin on Mary’s shoulder. “I’m glad I didn’t.” 

“I am too.” Mary turned her head to capture Maria’s lips. The two made their way to Maria’s bed, breaking the kiss to take off their clothing. Mary ended up on top of Maria and leaned up on her elbows to look down at the younger woman. She cupped Maria’s cheek and glanced at the closed door. “Joaquin and Manolo,” she trailed off, but Maria knew what Mary was trying to say.

Maria leaned up to brush her lips against Mary’s. “They’ll be gone for the rest of the night.” She pulled Mary down so that their bodies were pressed together. “Don’t worry about them interrupting us.” Before Mary could react, Maria rolled them over so now she was on top. She smirked down at the older woman, her fingers ghosting over her arms and watching as the woman under her shudder. 

“Whoah,” was all Mary could say as she stared up at Maria. No human ever had this effect on her. Mary liked it. She tried to lean up but she was roughly pushed back down, mischief dancing in Maria’s eyes. No human had ever shoved her down like this before either. Mary quite liked it. 

“Is that all you can say, mi amor?” Maria taunted, bending down to kiss Mary. It ended as soon as it begun and she leaned back up, pressing her thigh at the apex of Mary’s legs and smiling smugly when the older woman’s eyes fluttered. 

Mary only hummed in content as she tried once more to lean up. This time Maria allowed her to do so. Mary pressed their lips together, her right hand cupping Maria’s cheek as the other drifted down to grope Maria’s butt. 

Maria was quick to take control of the kiss, nipping on Mary’s bottom lip and slipping her tongue in the other woman’s mouth when Mary gasped. She pushed Mary back to the comforter and followed along, never breaking the kiss. When Mary needed air, Maria kissed down the column of her throat, her teeth grazing the skin but never biting down. Maria groaned in frustration but Mary held her head to her neck, tilting it to the side to give Maria more room.

“I have a scarf I can wear tomorrow,” Mary said with a slight pant. She saw Maria’s eyes shine with triumph for a moment before the younger woman went back to Mary’s neck, this time not hesitating to give it a swift bite and a soothing kiss afterwards. Mary hissed in pain as pleasure coursed down to settle in between her legs. She gasped out as two more hickies were given to her before Maria kissed down. 

The younger woman made sure to not leave any other marks as she made her way to Mary’s breasts. She took in one of the nipples into her mouth, looking up to make sure Mary was enjoying herself. However, Maria didn’t really need to, the hand holding her head in place and the breathless sounds coming from Mary was conformation enough. Still, seeing those flushed cheeks and half lidded eyes sent a thrill through Maria, knowing that she was the cause of them. 

“Maria, please,” Mary begged. 

“Please, what?” Maria practically purred back.

_ Mierda,  _ Mary thought. She had no idea how dominating Maria could be, although she should have guessed by the younger woman’s fiery spirit. She never experienced anything like this before, with anyone. Even with Xibalba, La Muerte had more or less equal power in their relationship, even in the bedroom. But to be a literal goddess and be treated like this by a human, Mary feared she could be addicted. She groaned as Maria bit down so slightly on her nipple, bringing Mary out of her mind.

“Please, what?” Maria asked again. There was a curious look in her eye as she gazed up at Mary, her tongue snaking out to lap at the nipple so it would stay hard. She knew by now that if Mary wanted to keep her thoughts to herself, she was not going to pry and hopefully the older woman would tell her in time. Now though, Maria wanted to keep Mary in this moment.

Mary wanted Maria to do so many things but when she tried to say them, her tongue felt too heavy. “More, please,” Mary answered after she was given another soft bite. “Just, more.” 

Maria smirked at Mary and kissed and nipped down the older woman’s body. When she reached her legs, she swiftly kissed down Mary’s right thigh and then kissed up her left. Maria hummed approvingly at the pleading look Mary was giving her. Catching and holding blue eyes, Maria bit at Mary’s right inner thigh, leaving a mark for Mary to see tomorrow morning. Mary groaned at the bite, the pain replaced by a soothing tongue. 

“Maria, _ please _ ,” Mary begged, tugging at Maria’s hair once. She spread her legs wider and bit her bottom lip. “I can’t take it anymore.” She was feeling as she did that night in Arroba, only more intensely. She needed Maria, and she needed her now.

Maria must have recognized the urgency in her voice because she stopped her teasing. She grabbed Mary’s hips and pulled the woman closer to her as her tongue delved into her sex. Maria hummed at the taste and smirked at the way Mary’s hips jolted. Her tongue reached up to lap ever so slightly at Mary’s clit as two fingers played at her entrance. 

“Yes,” Mary breathed, leaning up on her elbows to watch Maria pleasure her. The dark eyes staring back at her made Mary whimper. They were so full of lust and unspoken promises. Mary moved some bangs away from Maria’s eyes so she could see them clearer. “Mierde,” she cursed as she felt Maria’s fingers enter her. 

“Good?” Maria asked, resting her cheek against Mary’s quivering right thigh. She watched Mary’s chest rise and fall and those delectable sounds escape her mouth. When Mary tried to answer her, Maria curled her fingers and rubbed at a certain spot. She smirked as Mary gave a particularly loud moan, her name tumbling out of her lips afterwards. Maria focused once more on Mary’s clit, sucking it into her mouth and letting her teeth graze very carefully on the bundle of nerves.

Mary came undone shortly afterwards. She tried to warn Maria but the smug eyes told her that Maria was well aware. Mary shuddered as her hips worked to get those fingers deeper inside, each time hitting that spot inside her just right. Her toes curled as she gave one last moan, her eyes slipping shut as she rode her orgasm on Maria’s slowing fingers. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Maria chided playfully after a minute. While Mary was coming down, she had crawled up so she could lay on Mary’s chest and draw random patterns on her skin, occasionally tilting her head down to press a sweet kiss. 

“What do you think?” Mary chuckled, wrapping her arms around Maria’s waist. She kissed the crown of Maria’s head, unable to wipe off her satisfied smile. “It was _ very _ good.” One of her hands wandered down to cup Maria’s butt and give it a squeeze. “If you want I could,” Mary trailed off, but a glance down made her intention clear.

Maria shook her head and snuggled deeper into Mary’s embrace. “I’m fine right now.” It wasn’t exactly true and both women knew it. “You can take care of me tomorrow morning,” Maria whispered. There was a teasing smirk on her lips, even as she kissed Mary sweetly.

Mary opened her mouth to tell Maria to stop being ridiculous but a yawn came out instead. Her eyelids felt so heavy and Maria looked so comfortable laying half on her and half off. “Okay,” she finally agreed. She raised a hand to summon a blanket to cover the two. At the last moment before she snapped her fingers, she remembered she was Mary Beth, not La Muerte. So she tapped Maria’s shoulder instead. “Let’s get under the covers.” 

The two women settled back into the bed, Maria once more laying partially on Mary and Mary pulling the younger woman closer. Despite Mary being more worn out of the two, Maria’s breathing slowed first, a content grin on her face. Mary stared up at the ceiling for almost half an hour. She focused her gaze down at the sleeping Maria with her lips pulled down slightly. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting herself be pulled into a dreamless sleep.


	14. Morning After

Mary felt the bed shift under her as Maria moved. She opened her eyes to look down, smiling when she saw the younger woman curled up against her. Mary had an arm under Maria’s body and for a moment, she wondered how neither of the women had woken up before now. The answer came to her as soon as the question formulated. Maria rolled over so she was now laying on her side, instinctively reaching out and throwing her own arm  and leg around Mary’s body while Mary’s arm was given a break with the curve of Maria’s waist. 

“Time to wake up, mi amor,” Mary whispered to Maria’s sleeping form. She giggled at how her words invaded the younger woman’s subconscious, causing the corners of Maria’s lips to twitch. When it became apparent that Maria was still in the grips of sleep, Mary kissed the top of her head, feeling Maria move slightly on the bed as her mind started to awaken. Mary pulled back to watch as sleep slowly left Maria.

Maria gave a sentence of nonsense as her eyes opened lazily, at once focusing on Mary. She yawned into her hand and snuggled deeper into the bed with a smile, pulling Mary even closer. “Buenos dias, Mary,” she murmured, her eyes already drooping as she started to fall asleep again.

Mary wouldn’t allow that. She pinched Maria’s cheek as firmly as she could without causing any real pain. Maria in turn glared up at the older woman but sleep fully left her. “Come on,” Mary chuckled before Maria could give a halfhearted complaint. “I’m hungry.” It was true, which was very strange and a bit scary for Mary. She never stayed human long enough for her to have human urges. She could eat, yes, but she never had the need for the nutrients. Mary’s thoughts were cut off as Maria sat up, the covers that hid her body falling down at her lap. Food suddenly didn’t seem important to Mary but her stomach disagreed with an embarrassingly loud gurgle. 

“I can see,” Maria teased as she got out of the bed, fully aware that a pair of blue eyes were practically devouring her naked form. She took perhaps a little longer than necessary to put on clean clothes, and maybe when she bent over to rummage through the drawers to pick up some fresh underwear and a bra, she glanced at Mary and smirked at the desire dancing in those eyes. Before Mary’s stomach could protest Mary’s distractive state, Maria threw Mary’s clothing at her, laughing when at the last second the older woman held a hand up to grab the clothes.  

Mary managed to tear her gaze away from Maria to get out of the bed and put on her clothes herself. Now that her mind wasn’t occupied with Maria, she felt how empty her stomach felt.  _ Was this what humans went through on a regular basis? How annoying.  _

Maria waited for Mary to fix the last bit of her dress, before commenting. “Maybe you can leave some clothes here for when you sleep over.” It might have been too much too soon, as the prickle of fear said in the back of her mind, but for some reason it felt right to say those words. 

“Maybe I should, if I decide to sleep over often.”

The words might have given credidance to Maria’s fears, if Mary’s own eyes hadn’t showed happiness at the suggestion. The tease was to downplay the seriousness of the sentence. She felt her heart grow warm at the idea that Maria wanted her to spend nights over often. 

“Good,” Maria said, relief in her eyes. She interlinked their fingers and opened the door to the hallway. Chuy woke up at once and Maria felt a stab of guilt. She had always allowed the pig to sleep in the same room, usually cuddled up against her side. After last night though, and if Mary spent many more nights, Chuy might have to stay outside her bedroom more often. “Sorry, Chuy,” Maria whispered, scratching the top of his head. “Mary and I needed our,” she hesitated before saying, “alone time.” She ignored the chuckle the woman next to her gave.

Almost like he understood, which could have well been the case, Chuy grinned at the two and beyed. He turned and ran through the hall, towards the kitchen. The two women followed the pig at their own pace. When they entered the kitchen, Mary was very grateful for her scarf.

Manolo and Joaquin had apparently came back from their date some time in the night. At the sound of the door opening, Joaquin looked over the two, a teasing smile on his face. “Hola Mary, Maria. How did your date go?”

“Wonderful,” Mary answered smoothly, intent on giving Joaquin no ammo to tease her or Maria. She caught a glance of a red mark peeking out from the collar of Joaquin’s shirt. “And I can see that yours was as well.”

Joaquin looked confused until Maria explained, “Manolo left a hickey on your neck.” Joaquin glared at his boyfriend who shrugged with a carefree grin, a picture of innocence. 

“I’m sure you have your own little marks as well,” Joaquin said after a moment. He looked over the two women once more, trying to find any physical evidence of their lovemaking. When he came up empty, rather than giving up, he became more determined. “You two are much more sneaky than Manolo and I. I bet Maria left quite a few hickies under that scarf of yours, Mary.”

Just as Joaquin began to reach over to pluck off Mary’s scarf, Manolo spoke up. “Joaquin.” The hero stopped at once to look at his boyfriend. “If you embarrass Mary, not only will you deal with a very pissed off Maria, but we won’t make love for  _ at least  _ a month.”

For a few moments, it looked as if Joaquin debated whether or not to test Manolo’s threat, but a glance at Maria made him go back cooking breakfast. Mary gave Manolo an appreciative grin and the matador returned it. 

After a minute, three plates of steaming omelettes were placed in front of the three. “I figured you two could use some food after your night’s,” Joaquin looked at Manolo, “activities,” he finished carefully. 

“Right on the line, Joaquin,” Manolo warned before he started to eat his omelette. 

“But not over it,” Joaquin said with a grin.

Mary and Maria finished their breakfasts and parted from the other couple. Chuy met them in the foyer with his leash held in his snout. Maria had to explain to him that she was going to the schoolhouse so she couldn’t take him. Chuy looked downcast for a moment before brightening up when Maria mentioned that Joaquin might take him for a walk. The pig bolted to the kitchen and the two women could hear Joaquin try to tell Chuy that he had more important matters to attend to, which Mary had a suspicion involved Manolo. 

“Poor Joaquin,” Maria sighed dramatically. “Chuy won’t let him out of his sight until he gets his walk.”

Mary laughed and opened the door for the younger woman. “And I’m sure you feel so bad about that.” 

The two walked through the town towards the orphanage. Several times, Mary had to restrain herself from sneaking a kiss on Maria’s cheek or entwining their fingers. Holding hands would not attract too much attention, but Mary doubted that those that do notice them would have missed the loving smiles they gave each other. 

The sound of construction reached their ears long before they were able to see the orphanage. The workers didn’t spare the two a glance, too busy trying to renovate the building and making sure the children didn’t get in the way. Already the orphanage was in much better shape. Mary could only imagine what it would look like once the builders were done. She looked at Maria and could see that the younger woman had the same thought. 

Maria watched as one of the construction workers was chasing a boy who had gotten a hold of his hammer. Soon everyone was focused on the scene: the workers and the nuns joining the chase and the children shouting for the boy to run faster. Maria quickly turned her head and pressed a swift kiss on Mary’s cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

Mary smiled at the kiss but she couldn’t risk giving her own. A nun had caught the boy and gave the hammer back to the worker. The boy pouted throughout his apology. “It was my pleasure.” Mary nodded to the boy as he ran to his friends who clapped him on the back and told him how great that was. “They deserve to live comfortably.” 

“Still, thank you.” Maria’s hand was touching Mary’s arm a smidge too long to be considered a friendly gesture. She let the hand drop eventually and began to corral the children back inside the building. She was the last one to enter it.

Mary had to stifle a surge of jealousy as the men turned their head to watch Maria walk inside. It might have been her imagination, but Mary thought Maria put a little more sway in her step than normally. The suspicion was confirmed just as Maria entered the building. The younger woman turned her head ever so slightly so Mary could see the smirk. 

As soon as the door closed, Mary turned around and started to make her way to the town’s cemetery. There was only the groundskeeper and a young couple and luckily they were gathered away from her tombstone. Mary turned her head to look in the direction of the orphanage for a moment before stepping into the tombstone.

La Muerte was greeted by an eerie darkness, all the candles of her usually bright throne room snuffed out. 

“You’re back. Finally.” 

La Muerte whirled around at the sound of her husband’s voice. She was about to retort something along the lines of him intruding in her realm but the sight of him stopped the words. 

Xibalba has always been rough looking but now he looked completely disheveled. His beard was unkempt and there were bags under his eyes. The wings would not stay still, they twitched and once a feather floated down to the floor, smoking and curling on itself until it became ash. Still, he appeared as powerful and awful as the humans depicted him as. His flames were high and there was an anger in his eyes that La Muerte has never been a focus of, his skull pupils facing her in their accusation. 

“I have always believed myself to be the crueler one of us but to use that girl’s emotions was an entirely new level,” Xibalba said as he glided to his wife. His eyes did not leave hers as he searched for something in them. He didn’t find confusion in them which wasn’t surprising. His wife has always been the smart, she knew why he had come. “Don’t you think that you’re becoming a little too involved in our wager? I was even able to enter your realm without you noticing, you’re spending too much time in the Realm of the Living.” 

La Muerte heard the undertone of concern in his voice that he tried to hide. A part of her was worried about the truth in his words but she couldn’t focus on that now. She lifted her chin to look him in his eyes. Xibalba had once told her that she was the first being to ever done that, it was the thing that made him realize he loved her. “I’m not playing with her feelings.” It was hard to talk through the lump in her throat. “This isn’t about our wager,” La Muerte whispered. 

“Then what?” Xibalba asked, his wings unfurling as he gripped his staff. “Did you fall in love with the puny mortal?” The words were meant to be mocking, to be cruel, but they came out as a pained mutter. He knew the answer, he knew it the second he saw how his wife looked at Maria Posada. But he had to hear it from her own mouth. 

Silence filled the room. With each second, Xibalba’s despair grew. 

“Yes.” 

The word had no emotion tied to it. La Muerte was stating a fact for her husband, that was all. 

“I did fall in love with Maria Posada.” La Muerte watched as the candles on Xibalba’s body dwindled and then went out. His eyes dimmed until it was difficult to see where his pupils began. “I’m sorry.” At last an emotion filled her voice. Guilt made her words tremble but they both knew she did not regret her love for the mortal. She regretted that it hurt him.

“You don’t.” There was no conviction in his voice, only desperation. Xibalba grabbed La Muerte’s arms and stared into her eyes, trying to find a shred of falsehood in them. “You love  _ me. _ Please, mi amor! Tell me that you love me.”

La Muerte opened her mouth to tell him so. It would be so much easier to stay with Xibalba instead of venturing into unknown territory with Maria. It was logical. No god or goddess has ever been with a human. “I can’t.” 

She was alone in her throne room. La Muerte felt Xibalba’s presence leave her realm but the throne room did not brighten. She left the room as it was and walked to her bedroom. She didn’t allow herself to think. She waved a hand and her clothing and sombrero disappeared. La Muerte felt more naked than she should and raised a shaky hand to her throat. Her fingers brushed against flesh instead of the necklace that Xibalba had gave her as a wedding gift. She choked back a sob but the tears still came. La Muerte climbed into her cold bed and hugged a pillow tight to her chest. Eventually the tears ran out and she fell into a fitful and exhausted sleep.


	15. Life Goes On

Before La Muerte knew it, six months had passed since her confrontation with Xibalba. Despite the countless times she tried, La Muerte was not admitted to the Land of the Forgotten nor did Xibalba enter her realm. She didn’t really know what she would have done if she was allowed access or he visited her. Maybe beg for forgiveness and understanding. 

She was extremely upset and reserved at first, trying and failing to act cheerily around Maria. Her lover was empathetic and gave Mary the space she needed. Maria would gently prod at what had turned Mary’s demeanor and expressed worry that she had done something wrong a few times but Mary was always quick to reassure her that what she was going through had nothing to do with Maria. Another white lie. 

It took Maria a week to get the half truth from Mary. Mary explained that she and her husband had officially separated. She never mentioned a divorce. Mary was not sure if gods could even get divorced. Maria had accepted it without blinking an eye, she was from a similar situation after all. It helped that the story was true, just not the characters.

But there was some good in those six months too. Out of the ashes of La Muerte’s relationship with Xibalba, Mary’s relationship with Maria bloomed. She spent more time in the Land of the Living than the Land of the Remembered. Mary even started to rent an apartment above a bar to keep up appearances. More than once she and Maria tumbled onto the sheets of her small bed. In the morning, Maria would playfully complain of almost rolling out of bed in the night and suggest that they exclusively used her mansion for what she called sleepovers. Mary agreed until the next time they went on a date and her apartment happened to be closer than the mansion.

Today was her and Maria’s ‘double date.’ Mary was going to go on a date with Joaquin while Maria and Manolo went as a married couple. The four of them were going to a restaurant to watch the Mariachi Brothers play live music. Manolo was the one to come up with the idea. By the way he explained it, it was obvious that he was planning this for a long time. 

Mary looked at herself through her mirror. It came with the apartment and it was more than a little stained with time and other things that Mary didn’t want to know. She finished applying her makeup, opting to use the dark red lipstick that was sure to leave marks on Maria’s skin. 

She left her apartment after making sure everything was perfect. Since the restaurant was closest to her, Mary would meet up with the others. It might have been more realistic to have Joaquin come and get her but Mary was insistent to go by herself. Mary believed that it would be strange and unfair to have Joaquin get her instead of Maria. Joaquin didn’t argue. 

A five minute walk later and Mary was standing in front of a magnificent outdoor restaurant. Already the Mariachi Brothers were gearing up to play. She saw Joaquin, Manolo, and Maria come from the other direction towards her. Maria had her arms wrapped around Manolo’s and Manolo was grinning and whispering something down into Maria’s ear. They looked like the perfect married couple. It was only when you looked hard enough that you noticed Maria wasn’t wearing her wedding ring, she hadn’t been for more than half a year, and Manolo would look over Maria’s head at Joaquin frequently. 

The four entered the restaurant, Mary making the adequate comments to seeing her ‘date’ Joaquin. The hero had polished his medals more than usual that night. They twinkled with each beam of light. He responded with the acceptable compliments to Mary’s attire and makeup. He was totally overdoing it when he proclaimed she was the most beautiful woman he ever saw and even La Muerte would be jealous of her looks. From the corner of Mary’s eyes, she saw Manolo stifle a smile. 

They made it to their seats and ordered their drinks and food. They made idle talk, or rather three of them did. When the Mariachi Brothers caught sight of Manolo, they hurried over and the four were discussing which songs to play. The brothers wanted to serenade the lovely ladies, joking about stealing them from Manolo and Joaquin. Manolo was trying to get them to play traditional songs, not once discouraging them about the joking. 

Once the drinks and food had arrived, the Mariachi Brothers left them alone and started playing. They were merciful at first. Just a few songs that everyone knew and could sing along if they wished. But as the night rolled on (and several complimentary drinks) the brothers mixed up their repertoire and sang specifically to Maria and Mary. Manolo and Joaquin allowed them to finish the one song before telling them to play something else. The brothers did as they were told, now focusing on a group of women a few tables away.

“Sorry about them,” Joaquin laughed as he watched one of the women slap the smallest brother. “They’re Manolo’s friends.”

“It’s fine, really,” Mary said. “It’s actually nice to have so much attention.” She noticed Maria shoot her a glance and she responded with a smirk not quite directed at Joaquin. “It’s a shame they didn’t sing some more. I was a bit tempted to go home with them instead of you.” 

Joaquin chuckled, knowing that the tease was for Maria, not him. “Hey, I wouldn’t blame you. Musicians do know how to use their fingers.” He gave a small grunt of pain. Mary wasn't sure if it was Manolo or Maria that kicked him. 

“Maybe you can tell me about your metals?” Mary offered. She learned by now that it would take another less than subtle reminder for Joaquin to act right on the date. 

Just like she hoped, Joaquin abandoned his teasing to excitedly recount where he earned each metal. One was for wrestling a tiger, another was for saving an entire town from a band of pirates, and another still was for...

Mary tuned him out soon after he began his lecture. She saw him glancing at Manolo at the end of each little story and could swear he puffed his chest out whenever their eyes met. Mary giggled at the adorable display and then looked at Maria. Thanks to how they were seated, the two women faced each other as their ‘dates’ sat next to them. Mary raised an eyebrow when she felt something brush against her heeled foot. The presence stayed and gave her foot a playful tap. Mary returned it and grinned at Maria. The other woman seemed confused for a moment before realization spread across her face, along with an amused smile. 

“That isn’t me.”

A perplexed frown pulled at Mary’s lips but then she noticed the embarrassed blush on Manolo’s face. “Sorry,” he muttered under his breath.

“Sorry for what?” Joaquin asked. He must have thought the apology was for him. 

“Nothing!” Manolo quickly said. He gestured to the general direction of the metals adorning Joaquin’s left side. “What’s that one for?”

Joaquin smiled smugly and went off on an extensive story involving rabid monkeys and frial, defenseless nuns. 

By the time the story concluded, they had finished their food and the Mariachi Brothers were packing up their instruments. Manolo and Joaquin paid for the food, another example of how they were the perfect ‘dates.’ At the entrance of the restaurant, Mary and Maria parted ways with Joaquin and Manolo. If anyone were to ask, the four agreed to state that the date between Mary and Joaquin did not go very well and Maria and Manolo were consoling their respective friend.

“I can’t believe you thought I was Manolo,” Maria chuckled as they made their way to Mary’s apartment.

“How was I supposed to know that foot wasn’t yours?” Mary shot back. 

Maria made an offended face and gestured to her boots. “He has much bigger feet than me!”

Mary couldn’t resist. “Are you sure about that, Maria?” She ran away laughing as Maria chased her the rest of the way to the apartment. It was only two blocks away so they got just a few stares. Mary bolted up the stairs, waving to the bartender, and ran to her apartment. She made sure to leave the door slightly ajar for Maria. 

“Got you, you liar!” Maria laughed as she wrapped her arms around Mary’s waist. She attacked her lover’s neck with kisses and nips, feeling the other woman shiver in desire in her arms. There was something else though. Maria could have sworn she saw a glint of guilt in those blue eyes. She didn’t ask, she assumed it was because they were doing this while Mary was still technically married to her husband. “Hey,” she murmured softly, ceasing her attack in favor of just holding Mary to her. “Is everything okay?” Maria let her arms loosen their hold. “We don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.”

“No,” Mary immediately protested. She turned around so she was facing Maria. She kissed Maria’s cheek and looked into the younger woman’s eyes. “Everything is fine. I was just thinking.”

Maria glanced away before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Mary wanted to. She desperately wanted to tell Maria everything. “No,” she said instead. To hide her disappointment with herself, Mary took a step backwards towards the bed, Maria at once following. “I much rather do something else,” she said, the meaning of her words clear in her eyes.

“Okay, but if you do want to talk afte-”

The rest of Maria’s sentence was cut off by Mary’s kisses. The two fell into the old and lumpy bed. They were grateful that the bar under them was as rowdy as ever or else they might have heard their gasps and moans. 

Before the sun had even started to rise, Maria left the apartment. Mary had given the younger woman a goodbye kiss that almost led to more but with the bar quiet under them, they couldn’t risk it. 

Mary waited ten minutes in case Maria had accidently forgotten something and had to rush back. When it was clear that this was not going to be the case, Mary snapped her fingers. It took a moment before marigold petals swirled around her and she was teleported back to her castle. 

La Muerte frowned as she studied the petals that were dissolving. Whatever thought that was blooming in her head flitted away as she caught sight of a piece of paper on the seat of her throne. She walked over to grab it, gasping when she realized what it was, feeling all the warmth inside her leave as she stared at it.

It was a page from the Book of Life. La Muerte had no idea how Xibalba had hidden this from her for so long. He must have stolen this when he first looked at the Book of Life. It held no words, only an illustration. On the page was a distressed La Muerte, reaching out a hand to Maria. The woman appeared to be terrified of the goddess, backing away from her and staring at the hand like it was going to hurt her. On the back of the page was blank except for Xibalba’s writing. 

“Be careful,” La Muerte read aloud. She looked back at the illustrations, questions running rampant in her mind. Did he know about this future when they first made that deal all those years ago? Was this how he knew about her and Maria? Why did he never mention this? Were there other pages? 

The questions continued to whirl around her mind as she sat on her throne, the page clasped in her shaking hands. There was one question however that reigned above all the others: How could she prevent this from happening? 


	16. I'm sorry

It was now the Day of the Dead. Mary wanted nothing more than to disappear into her castle but Maria had specifically asked her to come with her and the others. Mary could not say no. 

So she was standing outside Maria’s mansion, knocking on the door with one hand and clenching a bouquet of roses in the other. She waited a minute before Joaquin opened the door. He smiled at Mary and beckoned the woman inside. He was wearing a very stained apron, however the uniform underneath was as pristine as always.

“We’ll be ready to leave in a few minutes,” he said, leading her towards the kitchen. “We’re making some traditional foods for our families and it got a little out of hand.” Joaquin’s eye caught sight of the roses. “Whose are those for? Maria said you don’t have family here.” His eye fell to the floor as he gave an embarrassed cough. “Sorry, I just meant,”

“It’s okay, Joaquin,” Mary interrupted his unnecessary apology. “They’re for General Posada, Maria’s father.” 

Before Joaquin could respond and possibly make the situation more awkward, the smell of food drifted over to them. They entered the kitchen and Mary stopped in her tracks.

The entire place looked as if a tornado had passed through it. There was batter splatter on several places on the walls and the sink held a precariously tilted stack of dirty dishes. Mary was somewhat surprised to see that the counter where the three had placed finished plates of food to be clear of any mess. Mary spotted Maria bent over to grab a metal sheet from the oven, warm loafs of bread perfectly cooked to a nice brown situated on them. There were three different types of bread, or rather it was apparent that three different people made the same type. Joaquin’s came out the best with noone being surprised. Maria’s was a bit lumpy, along with Manolo’s, but they still looked good. 

Maria grinned at Mary and took off her oven mitts after setting the bread down to cool. “Mary, we weren’t expecting you for half an hour.” Without hesitating, she pulled Mary into a hug, turning her head to kiss her cheek.

“I know, but I couldn’t stay in that apartment for another moment.” It was true. Since she received the page from Xibalba a month ago, Mary had been restless. Her mind was constantly wondering back to how that future could possibly occur and how it could be avoided. Like before, Maria had noticed and asked if Mary wanted to talk about it. Mary had declined, fearing that talking about the page or even trying to give a half truth would cause everything to spiral out of control. Maria had relented but her patience only made Mary’s heart ache more. 

It took another half an hour to clean the kitchen, even with Mary helping. Chuy tried to help as best as he could, like licking off the splatters from the walls where he could reach. Joaquin tried to chase him out but as soon as he turned around, Chuy would dash back in to lick at another splatter. After five times of chasing the pig out only for him to run back in, Joaquin gave up and left the pig to happily lap at the batter on the walls. He did vow to wash the entire kitchen once over when they came back, earning laughter from the other three. The cleaning gave the bread more than enough time to cool down enough to safely transport. The four people and Chuy headed out of the mansion and made their way to the cemetery.

Other families joined their journey and soon there was a steady river of people walking and holding their offerings. Mary felt some stares from people when they noticed she only held a bouquet of roses. She almost somewhat jokingly told Maria that she should slip away and get some other offerings but the river became several streams as they passed under the archway to San Angel’s cemetery. 

Joaquin, Manolo, and Maria split away from each other, the three heading to their respective family graves. Mary and Chuy followed Maria as she strolled to her father’s grave. Mary could not help but recall how Maria had looked at the last Day of the Dead. She was glad that Maria seemed much happier and that she had a hand in creating that happiness. 

Mary and Chuy stopped a few feet away from the grave, giving Maria some privacy to place the offerings in front of the grave. Afterwards, Maria closed her eyes and tried to feel her deceased father’s presence. Mary saw General Posada stand next to his daughter, lifting a hand to rest on her arm in a comforting gesture. The corners of Maria’s lips tilted up in a small smile, somehow knowing that her father was with her. 

“You can come closer, you know,” Maria told Mary and Chuy, opening one eye to look at them.

The two walked to the grave, keeping respectfully silent. Mary laid her bouquet of roses in front of the statue. She studied the statue more closely, trying to ignore the fact that she could see General Posada standing not five feet away from her. 

“He was a good man,” Maria whispered. “I know most daughters say that about their fathers, but he truly was a good man. He helped build the town’s brigade to stop Chakal and his bandits from raiding the town.” She nodded towards the hook that replaced General Posada’s hand. “He even gave up his left hand to protect this town and its people.” A few tears budded in Maria’s eyes but she made no move to wipe them away. “Even though it hurt him, he sent me away to Arroba to become a proper lady. It took me so long to realize that he only did it because he thought it would be best for me. It would have been safest for me to be a proper lady.” Maria chuckled. “But I have his blood. I could never be a proper lady. I was a fighter, just like him.”

Mary, not caring who might have been glancing at them, wrapped an arm securely around Maria’s shoulders. “He’s proud of you.”

“How do you know?” Maria’s question had some humor in it but it also shined with her curiosity. 

Mary shrugged. “I just do. Any father that has a daughter like you can only be proud.” 

The two women listened to the people around them talking quietly but happily, feeling their deceased relatives coming from the Land of the Remembered to visit them. Several children, the same ones from the previous year in fact, were running about in a game of tag. Mary could see Carmelo waving at her from a few tombstones away to where Manolo’s family was. She had to resist the urge to wave back. Mary looked back and noticed that General Posada was watching her, a frown on his face. This took her aback but she schooled her features.

After seven minutes, Maria looked over at Manolo, unable to see his family standing around him. “I should be the dutiful wife and see if he needs anything.”

“I thought the husband was supposed to check up on the wife,” Mary teased. She heard General Posada huff in annoyance at her. 

“I’ll be back soon,” Maria said, sneaking a kiss on Mary’s cheek before moving towards Manolo. 

Chuy glanced between the statue and Maria and decided to trot after the woman, giving a bey of goodbye to Mary.

Mary watched and once she was sure they were out of earshot, she looked at General Posada. Now that his daughter was not in the vicinity, he fully glared at Mary. She glanced away, almost ashamed, before meeting his gaze again.

“I don’t care that you’re La Muerte in disguise,” General Posada said evenly. “If you hurt my daughter I swear I’ll,” he continued in a mutter that Mary could not understand but the message was quite clear. 

A flash of the illustration passed in her mind’s eye. That damn page was never far from her mind. She turned her head to look at Maria and Manolo laughing at something, but the laughter was tinged with sadness. She looked back at General Posada. “Can I have your blessing,” she asked suddenly, unaware that the words were out of her mouth until she heard her own voice asking the question.

“No.” There was a frankness to the answer that shocked both Mary and General Posada. It shocked General Posada because he had refused a goddess’s request and it shocked Mary because of the swiftness he gave his answer.

“Why?” Mary had to know. She was afraid of the answer, she knew what it was, but she had to know.

General Posada gave her a quick glare  as if she was a teenager caught out late with his daughter and not the ruler of the realm he presided in. “Because what you’re doing is wrong.” He waved his hooked hand to his daughter. “You’ve been lying to her this entire time. Even before you two started seeing each other.”

“I had to,” Mary replied. 

It was General Posada’s turn to ask, “Why?” The expression he gave her made it clear that whatever excuse she could possibly give was not going to be enough. 

Mary almost did not answer. At first she had no excuse. Her wager with Xibalba had all but won, she made Maria happy as she could and she was happy as well. Xibalba had left her and now she was free to explore her feelings with Maria. All in all the only reason why she had not told Maria she was La Muerte was because she was afraid. And she blamed that twice damned page. 

Just as she was about to open her mouth to explain herself, General Posada continued. “If you truly care for my little girl, maybe even love her, you’ll tell her the truth.” With that, Posada left the realm of the living.

Mary stared at the spot that General Posada had previously occupied for a minute. She looked back at Maria and noticed that she had ended the conversation with Manolo and was heading back over to her. Mary glanced around the area, hoping that Posada would return as his daughter neared. When it became evident that he wouldn’t, she knew she had to tell Maria the truth.

“Sorry that I was gone for so long, Mary,” Maria said. There was only happiness in her eyes and Mary felt cold. She leaned against her lover, looking back up at the statue of her father. She sensed something was amiss with Mary and looked at her. “What’s wrong, mi amor?” Maria whispered the last bit and it stung Mary more than she expected.

“I need to show you something,” Mary answered. She took one last gaze at the statue before leading Maria away from the cemetery. Luckily, the families around them were too busy celebrating and praying to notice the two women slipping away. 

Mary and Maria did not exchange any words as they walked. Maria was growing more and more concerned as Mary led her first through the town and than out on the bridge leading away. Finally, the two stopped in front of the old tree.

“What’s going on, Mary?” Maria asked. Her instincts told her she didn’t want the answer but she was going to get it nonetheless.

Instead of answering, Mary kissed Maria. Soon she backed Maria against the tree, her heart hammering in her chest in desire and fear. Mary broke the kiss, studying Maria’s eyes. There was desire in them too, so much that Mary was enticed to go back to the apartment and forget all of today. However, there was a burning curiosity in them too, and Mary knew she could not leave this place until she told Maria what was in her mind. 

“Please,” Mart begged, her voice trembling, “please understand why I did it.” 

“Did what?” Now there was fear in Maria’s voice as she stared back at Mary, the desire and endearment still present in her eyes. She probably thought whatever Mary had to tell her was some dark secret but nothing that could split them apart. Mary prayed to whatever god that could hear her that Maria was right.

Mary kissed her desperately one more time. “Close your eyes,” she whispered, her forehead pressed against Maria’s. 

Maria did as she was asked and Mary took a few steps back. She tried to snap her fingers but she was too nervous that no sound was made. Mary had to try again before a sound rang out, much louder than what should have been produced. 

“Open them,” La Muerte said.

Maria frowned at the change in voice but her gut told her it was still Mary. A part of her wanted to keep her eyes closed, to tell Mary to stop whatever trick she must be playing. Still, her eyes fluttered open and then gaped wide at the goddess standing before her. For a miraculous second, Maria thought Mary must have somehow used makeup and changed her clothes to look like La Muerte. She appeared different than when Maria remembered seeing her two years ago. The eyes were much dimmer and the marigold flowers in her hair were dull, like they were on the cusp of dying. But there was no denying that this was indeed La Muerte, the ruler of the Land of the Remembered. 

“I don’t understand,” Maria finally said, taking a step back. Her eyes dashed around, searching for Mary even as her heart told her she wouldn’t find her. She focused back on the goddess. “Where’s Mary?”

La Muerte looked saddened for a moment before replying. “I think you already know, Maria.” She said the name like a lover would and everything fell into place in Maria’s mind.

“What? You, you can’t be Mary!” Maria exclaimed. She could feel the panic raise inside her, along with betrayal. She searched into La Muerte’s eyes and gasped as she recognized them. They were different to be sure, but they held the same fondness as did Mary’s. 

“Maria, please, listen to me,” La Muerte said, seeing Maria accepted the truth of her identity. “I didn’t want to lie to you.” She took a step forward, intent on pulling Maria into her arms like she’s done a hundred times before. Maria took a step back, holding up a hand and stopping La Muerte without having to say a word. 

“Why?” Maria asked, tears welling in her eyes.

“I had a wager with Xibalba,” La Muerte began.

“Another one!?” Maria yelled out, cutting La Muerte off before she could get another word out. “How could you?” She gestured between them. “Were you - this entire time did you - did this mean nothing to you? Was this just some sort of sick kick for you?”

“No!” La Muerte tried to take a step forward again and Maria took a few steps back. Each one hurt as if Maria had struck her. “The wager was if I could make you happy.” The words were wrong, she saw that in Maria’s eyes. “I only meant to be your friend but then I fell for you, Maria. I wanted to tell you the truth for so long. Please, I lov-”

Maria shook her head wildly, her eyes now angry even as several tears fell. “Don’t! Don’t you dare tell me you love me after all you’ve done.” She shook her head again, hands coming up to grip at her locks, her vision blurry as she recalled every moment she spent with Mar- no La Muerte, and all of them tarnishing at this confession. Maria stilled and looked up at La Muerte, fear now the main emotion on her face. “Xibalba, you’re married to Xibalba!”

“Yes but we’re not together anymore. You don’t have to fear him,” La Muerte tried to console Maria. “I will  _ never  _ let him harm you,” she vowed.

Maria saw some of the fire return to La Muerte’s eyes and could not help but sense the truth in those words. It was a small comfort, but nowhere big enough. 

La Muerte saw the walls start to come up around Maria’s heart. In a last ditch effort, she flashed forward in a cloud of marigold petals. Too fast for Maria to stop her if she wished, La Muerte pressed their lips together. She poured everything into the kiss, all her love for the woman in front of her, all the happiness that Maria made her feel, and all the hope for their future.

_ SMACK! _

Maria gaped at her own hand after it had smacked against La Muerte’s face, ending the kiss instantly. She turned her eyes up to the goddess, her face pale and her body slightly trembling. When La Muerte reached out for her, surely to punish her for attacking, Maria gave a trembling gasp of fear and held up her hands instinctively.

The illustration.

“No,” La Muerte whispered in despair. Her arms went limp at her sides as she looked at the horror on Maria’s face at what she had just done. At the fear of La Muerte retaliating. “I won’t hurt you. Please, mi amor, don’t be afraid of me.”

Maria flinched at the words ‘mi amor’ and La Muerte felt her heart break. “I never want to see you again.” With that, she turned and ran away. 

La Muerte only watched her go, a hand pressed against her throbbing cheek. 


	17. Repercussions

Maria turned over on her bed, a hand reaching out to pull Mary closer. When her fingers brushed against cold sheets, reality crashed over her. Maria swallowed down a sound of disappointment and grief as she sat up on her lonely bed. Why did she still search for the other woman as she woke every morning?

It’s been a month since she learned that Mary had been lying to her.

“Fuck her,” Maria muttered to noone in particular. Chuy grumbled, still asleep but somehow sensing that Maria was disturbed by her thoughts. She got out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready for the day. Maria did her best to avoid looking into a mirror, knowing that she’ll see the deep bags under her eyes if she did. 

Once she was presentable again, Maria made her way downstairs. She waved halfheartedly at Manolo and Joaquin just as they were leaving the mansion. They gave her sympathetic looks and smiles that didn’t reach their eyes. 

Maria still remembered the night they found her drunk with perfect clarity.  _ She was in the library, chucking  _ Moby Dick _ at a nearby wall. They expressed concern for her of course. But then Manolo asked where Mary was. At that, Maria stumbled up on her feet and staggered out of the library without answering Manolo’s question. She didn’t make it to her room, she knew, but she woke up in her bed. Even the morning after their breakup, her fingers sought after Mary.  _

“Fuck her,” Maria said again, eating a simple breakfast. She left the mansion and kept her eyes lowered so she wouldn't have to meet anyone’s eyes. 

_ Before Maria had awoken, Joaquin had made the trip to the orphanage to inform the nuns that Maria would not be available that day. The nuns had nodded but it was clear they were curious, it was the first time Maria had ever missed a day so suddenly.  _

Maria stopped in front of the orphanage. The reconstruction had been completed a week earlier and if Maria had not been there since the beginning, she would have said that the building in front of her was brand new. 

_ They dogged her with questions throughout the day in between giving her water and food to nibble on. Finally sometime in the afternoon, Maria broke. She told them everything. At first there was only silence once Maria had stopped talking. Then Manolo, with a puzzled look on his face, said that La Muerte would never do something so cold. Even as the words left his mouth, his eyes were doubtful and disbelieving to his words. Maria still snapped back that he shouldn’t trust the gods and reminded him of La Muerte’s and Xibalba’s first wager. That had stopped any listless attempts to defend La Muerte’s actions. _

Maria shook her head to get rid of irrelevant thoughts as she entered the orphanage. The children gave her polite greetings, slowing from running to a fast walk. The children noticed the change in Maria’s attitude before the nuns did. They were on their best behavior for her class and not one commented on how it would take Maria a little longer to grade their homework. 

She took a deep breath and put on a smile before she entered her classroom. Maria asked the children how their day was and listened to their answers said all at once. She saw all their familiar faces, each one eager to learn and be praised by their teacher. They sat in new desks and held new pencils, ready to write down on new paper. Even their clothes were new. The sight of them always brought a genuine smile on Maria’s face. She turned and began to write the day’s math problems. It was here that everything else melted away, even Mary and her wager. As the day wore on and they moved from math to grammar to history and finally to science, Maria noticed that her previous assumption was wrong.

There was a boy, about seven or eight, seated in the back right corner. It was the darkest part of the classroom so Maria had not seen him right away. He was the only one that wasn’t participating. He had his arms crossed and scowled at Maria. Each time she glanced over to him, he met her eyes and glared, hatred engulfing them. When she turned her back to erase something or write, she could still feel those eyes. 

Maria did not recognized him so she assumed he was new. It tore at her that a child that age was sent to the orphanage. He was at the age where he knew his parents, or maybe a distant relative, so they must have died or given him up for whatever reason. Maria shuddered at the last thought. It was a rare occurrence but it did happen. And when it did, the child would usually lash out at those around him or try to run away. Maria made a mental note to get to know him and try to offer whatever support she could. 

The class ended without incident and Maria found herself glancing more and more at the child as she gave her lessons. He must have noticed, he mood seemed to sour each time she looked at him. The other children ran out laughing happily when Maria dismissed them. She realized she forgot to give them homework but by the time she recognized her mistake, ten children had already rush out of the room. Maria let them go and decided that they deserved some rest from homework. She moved to erase the science lesson when the hairs on the back of her neck and arms rose. 

The child from the back corner was still there. Maria knew it by the way she felt the hatred roll off him. She let the eraser fall back to the holder and turned to face him. She had opened her mouth to greet him and ask him his name with a friendly tone but the words died on her tongue.

He was standing right in front of her. “Don’t say a fucking word,” he growled. The voice was what stilled Maria’s voice. It was so full of malice that no child should achieve. His eyes pierced deep into her soul, ripping it apart with its gaze. His eyes still bearing into Maria’s, he walked to the door and shut it without a sound. 

Seeing the door shut was what snapped Maria out of whatever trance the child seemed to put on her. “Who, who are you?” A small bit of fear leaked into her voice. Every fiber in her being roared at her to get away from the child. 

“You don’t know me?” The words were softly spoken and the rage dripped into his words. He took a step forward and the room darkened slightly. At first Maria thought a cloud had obscured the sun but the child took another step towards her. The room darkened again and Maria felt a chill. 

Three more steps and the child stood in front of her. One could have mistaken it to be nighttime by how dark the room had become. Maria could see her breath puff out and goosebumps appeared across her skin.

“Do you know me now?” As he said the words, the child sprouted. He grew a disheveled white beard and his pupils became red skulls. Black wings made of tar unfurled from his back. The pencil clenched in his right hand became a staff, each end carved into the likeness of a striking snake. “I asked you a question. Do you know me?” Xibalba repeated.

“How,” Maria could only say as she watched the boy transform into a god. She couldn’t take a step backward, it was like his gaze petrified the muscles in her legs. The words finally registered in her head. “You, you’re the ruler of the, the Land of the Forgot, Forgotten,” she stammered out.

Xibalba nodded, his expression unchanging. “Do you know why I’m here?”

Maria did not need any time to answer the question. “La Muerte.” Saying the name squeezed her heart in a painful way. 

The god must have seen the flash of pain on her face because his face somehow darkened. “Correct.” Xibalba’s voice was smooth but it was too smooth. It was like the edge of a newly forged blade. It was so fine, so smooth, that it could end a person’s life easily. “I have played with the lives of men and I thrive in the chaos I sow.” He bent down so he was eye level to Maria. “I could never have accomplished what you have done, however.” The skull pupils turned in his eyes so that their empty sockets bore into Maria’s eyes. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I’m sorry,” Maria said, still unable to run away and now her eyes were trained on the skulls. “I didn’t know, I swear!” She could feel Xibalba dissecting her with those skull pupils, pulling away every layer of Maria until only her heart was left. “I didn’t know Mary was lying.” 

The last sentence was ill spoken. Xibalba looked as if he was about to yell his anger but he took a swift glance at the closed door. Maria took the opportunity to look away but her legs still would not move. Xibalba glared back at the woman and brought up his staff off the floor and slammed it back down. 

Maria felt a horrible sensation of vertigo and almost doubled over. Just as the feeling started, it ended. She looked around and saw that Xibalba had taken them to the tree outside of San Angel. Maria stared at the tree, horrified. 

For as long as the town existed, the tree had thrived. Some of the elders even claimed that it was the first tree that ever sprouted from the earth. Maria did not know if that was true, but she did remember first looking up at the reaching branches as a child and thinking that it was something that had always existed, like the gods and their realms. Now though, the tree was dying. The tree seemed bloated and there was a crack here and there on the trunk where too sweet smelling sap leaked out. The branches slumped downwards with few sickly looking leaves clinging to them. Most of the ground was covered with the decaying leaves that had already fallen. Maria knew that if she dug down, the roots would be in the same poor state.

“Do you understand now?” Xibalba asked after Maria studied the tree for a few silent minutes. He laid a clammy and cold hand on her shoulder, his fingers curling and allowing the sharp fingernails to dig into her skin. Xibalba bent down to whisper angrily into her ear. “You caused this.”

The accusation stung Maria. She turned her head to look at the god. “I don’t understand. What did I do?” Her gut told her it had to do with her relationship with Mary but that was all. 

The fact that Maria still did not know what she did pushed Xibalba over the edge. He pushed his staff down and disgustingly, the ground parted like it had rotted. Xibalba released Maria’s shoulder only to grab her neck and slam her against the deceased tree’s trunk. 

Maria tried to scream out for help but the hand tightened momentarily, warning her. 

“You broke her heart!” he roared. Xibalba’s candles relit and the green flames soared up with his wrath. There was something else in his eyes though. Maria recognized the wild desperation in them. “You broke her heart and now I’ll break yours.”

The hand tightened once again and Maria tried to scratch at the hand to no avail. Her eyes bulged out as she realized she could not breathe. Maria opened her mouth and closed it again as she stared into Xibalba’s eyes. She expected to see some sick satisfaction in them but instead they were sad and disgusted. With a start Maria realized Xibalba didn’t want to do this. As if he heard her thoughts, his grip loosened and he seemed unsure of himself. She took those precious seconds to gulp in some air. 

“La Muerte!” she cried out. 

Everything afterwards happened so fast. Maria fell to the ground with a groan. She looked up to see the back of La Muerte. Xibalba was slowly rising to his feet, rubbing his jaw with a pained grimace. He spared Maria a glance and she could have sworn she saw relief in those eyes. Xibalba then looked at La Muerte and his expression became indifferent but they could see the wings twitching behind him.

“Leave.”

Maria had never heard such coldness from anyone’s voice, least of all La Muerte’s. A part of her expected to see frost spreading on the ground when she glanced down at the commanding power of the goddess’s voice. Xibalba did as he was told. 

Fifteen seconds passed before Maria looked up. La Muerte had turned around to face the younger woman. Maria gazed at her in confusion until it hit her. La Muerte had  _ shrunk.  _ She should be towering over Maria like Xibalba had but instead she was only a head taller. Her eyes that should be glowing bright were so dull that Maria could spy some blue in them. 

La Muerte lifted a hand to help Maria on her feet but just as it started to rise it fell back down. The goddess glanced sadly but unsurprisingly at the tree before focusing on Maria. She could already see the bruise forming on the woman’s slim neck. La Muerte met Maria’s eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry.” 

Maria was alone.


	18. A Visitor

La Muerte stumbled and almost fell when she arrived back at her palace. The petals that swirled around her were hard to look at. Not one was healthy and the smell they produced caused the goddess to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She was grateful that they went away quickly. 

Her eyes took in the sorry state of her palace. The paint on the walls were chipped and curling inwards at the edges. The few candles that were lit burned so low that they hardly helped alleviate the gloomy atmosphere. La Muerte climbed the steps to her throne and sat on it with a heavy sigh. What once looked like a chair carved from a giant hunk of purest gold now appeared to be carved from wood and painted to only look like gold. Her fingertips traced the cracks where she had slammed her fist into an armrest so long ago. They had grew until they covered the entire throne and La Muerte was only counting the days until the chair would crumble on itself.

If La Muerte took a glance outside one of her broken windows, she would have seen that her palace was not the only thing affected by her mental state. There were no fiestas being held to celebrate a newcomer into the Land of the Remembered. There were no parades for everyone to participate in. There was not even a bullfight to lift people’s spirits. It was like everyone could feel La Muerte’s pain as if it was their own. 

One could have even mistaken it to be the Land of the Forgotten.

La Muerte sunk deeper into her throne, trying to banish the thought. She was successful in a manner of speaking. Now that she was not focusing on the condition of her realm, her mind traveled to the events that occured today. She grimaced at the flare of pain in her heart and clenched her fist. 

In the briefest of looks that La Muerte had given Maria, she knew that the younger woman was not doing well. She looked so tired and La Muerte worried that she had not been eating regularly. Her eyes that used to hold so much emotion seemed empty, like Maria had chosen to stop feeling altogether.

“My fault,” La Muerte whispered to the empty palace. She rubbed at her eyes with the palms of her hands. They came away wet. 

Once the tears finally subsided, La Muerte summoned the page that had caused all this pain.  _ No _ , she thought.  _ I have noone to blame except myself.  _

The page appeared out of thin air. La Muerte grabbed it and examined the illustration once again. She did not know why she kept doing this to herself. Every day she would spend at least an hour gazing at the illustration. Maybe she hoped that one of those times the picture would change. Or maybe she felt like she deserved the pain at seeing Maria terrified of her. La Muerte did not know and she could not find it in herself to search for an answer. 

She felt a presence enter her palace. La Muerte tore her eyes away from the illustration and banished it with a quick snap of her fingers. She prayed it was not another Sanchez. She adored the family, truly, but they’re attempts at cheering her up did not work the first time and each time after they put in less effort like the sadness she felt was seeping into them.

“Come in,” she called. Her voice that used to effortlessly sweep throughout the throne room now drifted out and barely reached the other side of the closed doors. 

Still, the person behind them heard her. General Posada pushed open one of the doors and shuffled in. He walked up to her slowly, a limp in his step that did not go away with his death. 

“La Muerte,” he said, bowing to her respectably. When he straightened his back as much as he could with his hump, La Muerte studied him. The swirls that adorned his skull appeared dull, as if the edges were chipped away. The light in his sockets had dimmed and it seemed to take a moment for them to move when he looked one way to the next. Even the space between his bones appeared to have lengthen just enough to be noticable. 

“General Posada,” La Muerte greeted, putting away her unease. “Why have you visited me?” Before, she would have engaged in some friendly conversation with those that visited her, but now she found she did not have the energy to do so. 

“My daughter,” he said. He watched as shock and guilt play on La Muerte’s face before she could hide it. “What happened?”

La Muerte glanced away before meeting his gaze. “How did you know something happened?” They both knew that it was her attempt to delay the conversation. 

General Posada answered nonetheless. “A father always knows when his children are hurt.” He squared his jaw and stood a little taller. “What happened?” This time the question had an edge to it, like he was daring La Muerte to lie to him.

She wanted to. She wanted to use one more white lie to appease him. But La Muerte was tired of lying. “Xibalba attacked her,” she answered truthfully. Before General Posada could shout or foolishly leave and challenge Xibalba, she added, “I stopped him before he could really hurt her.” 

The room became silent as General Posada read in between La Muerte’s words. He looked like a man who lost a battle. “How bad is it?”

“She’ll have a bruised neck for a week but she will be fine.” The words were bitter on La Muerte’s tongue. She should have kept a close eye on Maria. She should have known Xibalba would eventually take his rage out on her. But she didn’t, and Maria got hurt, was almost killed, because of her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. 

General Posada did not respond, he only looked at her face closely. Whatever he found must have appeased him because he did not yell at La Muerte for putting his daughter in that situation in the first place. Without asking for permission, he turned and began to walk out of the palace. He stopped when he was ten feet from the throne. Turning back around, Posada asked, “Why didn’t you stay with her?”

La Muerte had not expected any more from Maria’s father. She did not know how to answer the question immediately. La Muerte thought about showing Posada the page but decided against it. “Maria didn’t want me there. She’s afraid of me.”

Posada narrowed his eyes in confusion. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer but he doubt any explanation would settle well with him. “If you truly believe that then you’re more stupid than that Manolo boy.” With that, he turned and walked out of the palace. 

La Muerte only watched him leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a rather short chapter I know. Originally there was a lot more dialogue but as I reread it, I realized that it was mostly fluff ya know? I promise the next chapter will be longer.


	19. Hey There Stranger!

Manolo and Joaquin were returning from their date when Chuy ran into them. In Joaquin’s case, quite literally. The soldier fell back on his butt, opening his mouth to yell at Chuy to get off him. Manolo had his mouth open too but only to laugh. Both men’s mouths snapped  quickly when they noticed that Chuy’s eyes were huge and he was squealing. They never heard Chuy sound so much like a pig until now and it chilled them to the bone.

Chuy jumped off Joaquin and ran in a tight circle, his squealing turning into frantic beying. He stopped running and jutted his snout in the direction of the mansion, giving two short beys. Joaquin and Manolo gave each other one glance before bolting towards the house. Chuy kept up with the two as best as he could, but soon he fell away. 

Joaquin was the first to the mansion and he slammed his shoulder into the front door. It crashed open with a loud bang and slumped awkwardly, its top hinges having been ripped out of the wall. His hands grabbed at the hilts of his swords, pulling them out of their scabbards with practiced ease.

By that time, Manolo had ran up beside him. Without a word passing between them, Joaquin handed Manolo one of his blades. The two walked into the foyer much quieter than their entrance, their eyes scanning their surroundings constantly. 

“Where’s Maria?” Joaquin whispered furiously to his boyfriend.

“I don’t know,” Manolo murmured back. The two men were climbing up the stairs, their ears straining to hear anything amiss. 

Soon, they were in front of Maria’s room. The door was shut, a now common sight, and Manolo and Joaquin nodded silently. Joaquin stood in front of the door with Manolo beside him, the sword raised. Joaquin counted down from three and turned the doorknob as quickly and quietly as he could. He threw open the door and the two dashed inside. 

The room was empty.

Cursing, Joaquin and Manolo went back outside. 

Chuy had finally caught up with the two. He was in the foyer, beying loudly. Joaquin and Manolo ran towards the sound and found Chuy pointing with his snout towards the library. The three walked to the library, Chuy leading. Now that he was back at the mansion, the pig had calmed somewhat but there was still a nervous speed to his step. 

The library’s doors were wide open, which struck the two men as odd. Maria had always made sure the doors were closed. The three went inside and found Maria in the middle of the floor. The woman was out cold, an arm curled protectively around a book as her hair spilled over her shoulders and covered most of her face. Manolo handed Joaquin back his sword and carefully took the book from the sleeping Maria. Maria gave a grumbling protest in her sleep but she did not wake up. Manolo looked at the cover and saw that it was  _ Moby Dick.  _ He could have sworn Maria had thrown the novel away when she found out Mary as really La Muerte in disguise. 

“Here,” Manolo said, handing Joaquin the book so he could see the cover as well. He saw Chuy give a sad bey and walk closer to Maria. The pig sniffed at her face, screwing up his snout at the scent he found. He nosed at her hair, causing the woman to grumble again and squirm slightly on the floor, but her eyes still did not open.

Finally, his wet nose made Maria turn in her sleep. Her hair moved only a bit away from her neck and Manolo and Joaquin frowned in confusion. Chuy looked at them expectantly as he waited for the dots to connect in their minds. Slowly so as to not awake Maria, Manolo knelt. Manolo brushed back Maria’s hair from her neck and the two men cursed under their breaths. 

There was a bruise forming around her neck like a hand had curled its fingers right around it. The fingers were extremely thin and long and neither men knew who the hand could have belonged to. Chuy nosed the shoulder strap of Maria’s dress, pulling it away to reveal another bruise. This one had four scrabs as if the fingernails had pierced Maria’s skin. Manolo and Joaquin looked at each other, both men unsure of what to do now. 

Manolo was the one who acted first. He lifted a hand to grab Maria’s shoulder to wake her but he glanced at the bruise. His hand fell on her waist and he shook her once gently. Maria muttered something under her breath and the two men caught a whiff of alcohol. He shook her more incessantly, murmuring her name at the same time.

“Wha?” Maria grumbled as her eyes lazily opened. They were unfocused and the men knew it was from more than sleep. They were red and blinked wearily up at Joaquin and Manolo. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. “What’s going on?” Maria asked.

“We want to ask you the same thing,” Manolo said softly. He nodded down to Chuy who laid his head in Maria’s lap, gazing up at the woman. “He came and led us to you.” Manolo gestured towards Maria’s neck. Too late the young woman tried to hide the bruise with her hand, only able to cover it partially. “What happened?” He could not hide the edge in his voice. Manolo looked up at Joaquin and saw the same hardness in his eye. Whoever had done this will pay.

Maria looked away from the two and her eyes fell on the book still being held in Joaquin’s hand. She then saw the swords out and sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Joaquin said a bit too harshly. “Someone hurt you.” He grabbed back his sword from Manolo after placing the book unceremoniously on a nearby table. Sheathing the blades, he bent down to help Maria back to her feet. He didn’t like the way she stumbled. “Who did this?” 

Maria shook her head. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does,” Manolo countered, getting up on his feet as well. He held out his hands in case Maria stumbled again. “Whoever hurt you could hurt someone else.” 

“He won’t.” Without any other explanation, Maria walked out of the library, presumably towards her room. 

Joaquin and Manolo could only watch her go. They didn’t know what else to say. “Do you know who did this?” Joaquin asked Chuy. The pig gave a sad grunt and shook his head. 

Manolo frowned to himself. There was something he was missing, something that should be obvious. He could feel it tickling the back of his brain. It was at the tip of his tongue but the word, or name, alluded him. Manolo trusted that Maria was telling the truth about the person not hurting anyone else. But that didn’t mean whoever did this wouldn’t hurt her again. “We need to watch over her.”

Joaquin responded with a solemn nod of his head. “You need to help too,” he told Chuy. “You’ll walk her to and from the orphanage and Manolo and I will walk with her whenever she leaves the house.” He shuddered at the thought of telling Maria this plan. 

Surprising, and worrying, them, Maria was silent the morning after as Manolo and Joaquin told her what they intended to do. She simply shrugged and moved the eggs around on her plate. 

Her attitude did not improve for the entire week that followed. There were no more incidents but Joaquin and Manolo were no closer at figuring out who had hurt Maria in the first place. Joaquin had the brigade do double shifts and he took to strolling the streets for most of the night. Manolo would train and perform for the town’s people as usual, but he searched the crowds for an unfamiliar or unfriendly face and found the usual people cheering him and the bull on. Even Chuy was walking through the town, sniffing here and there to catch a stranger’s scent to no avail. They did not try to press on Maria too much, each time they asked she became even quieter than usual. The last time, Joaquin had suggested that a new group of banditos had come to San Angel, Maria took her plate of barely eaten food and went to her room alone. 

Now Maria was asleep and Joaquin and Manolo were in their room, their voices hushed even though they sound proofed the room months prior. 

“What were you thinking?” Manolo asked Joaquin. “We need to be subtle about this.” He was sitting on their bed, watching Joaquin pace back and forth in front of him.

“I’m tired of being subtle, Manolo!” Joaquin groaned. “We need to find out who hurt Maria and we need to find out now!” He waved a hand towards the window and into the streets. “I can’t keep forcing my men to chase after a ghost.  _ We  _ can’t keep chasing after a ghost.” Joaquin had scarcely slept this past week, as well as Manolo. “That bull almost hurt you today.”

It was true, Manolo couldn’t deny it. As the week went on, his reflexes dulled and his steps started to become sloppy. This morning during a practice routine, he was almost impaled by the bull’s horns. Manolo would have been if the bull hadn’t yanked his head to the side at the last second during the charge. He still barreled into the matador and Manolo suffered a new bruise on his side as well as aching bones, but he was alive.  

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Manolo asked, at his wits end. “Maria won’t tell us who hurt her and we can’t find the fucker!” He jumped off his bed, his fingers curled into fists. 

Joaquin shook his head in despair, having no answer. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“Then what!?” Manolo yelled. He marched up to his boyfriend and waved a hand wildly at the window. “Someone hurt Maria! Someone might have wanted to kill her!” 

That broke the dam inside Joaquin. “I know!” He roared back. Joaquin and Manolo weren’t ignorant, only someone who wanted to kill would have left such a mark on Maria’s neck. Something must have stopped the attempt, maybe a civilian happened to pass near them. If that was the case however, that civilian would have gone to the brigade or Joaquin himself. Maybe Maria fought back? Joaquin and Manolo had already dispelled that idea. There were no signs of struggle, no bruised knuckles if she punched or skin under her nails. Joaquin and Manolo were at a dead end. “I know Maria could have been killed,” he whispered, his shoulders deflating. He was the town’s hero, why couldn’t he protect his family? His eye stared imploringly at Manolo. “I don’t know what else we can do if Maria won’t talk to us.”

Manolo had no response to that. He pulled Joaquin into a tight hug. With a start, he realized that Joaquin’s shoulders were shaking and there was something wet dripping onto his neck where Joaquin buried his head. Manolo rubbed at Joaquin’s back, his own frustrated tears spilling out. “We’ll figure something out,” he said to both of them. His eyes widened when he saw his breath. When had it gotten so cold?

Joaquin must have felt it too. He pulled away from the embrace, his eye roaming throughout their room. 

“Are you done?”

Manolo and Joaquin whirled around towards the voice. Xibalba was standing in the darkest corner of the room. The god took a step forward and the candles around the room snuffed out. He cast an eerie green glow but Manolo could not find himself to be frightened. There was something stiff and sluggish in the way Xibalba moved, like he didn’t have full control of his limbs. His wings were constantly twitching and a feather would fall every once in a while. Manolo felt a strange sense of pity for the god and a look to Joaquin showed that the hero felt the same. 

“Why are you here?” Joaquin meant to make his voice demanding but it was a difficult task to accomplish with one of his cheek wet from his tears. 

Still, Xibalba answered. “It’s my, it is La Muerte.” His voice was strained and gravely, like he was only gaining his voice back after losing it. “And Maria.” Xibalba’s eyes were slightly glazed over. “How is she?”

The question put the final pieces together. The marks on Maria’s neck and shoulder. They were made by very slim fingers. Manolo glanced at the hand that was clutching the purple staff. “You,” he whispered, too low for anyone to hear. Xibalba had found out about his wife’s and Maria’s relationship. He hurt Maria. He tried to kill Maria! “You,” Manolo said again, louder.

Joaquin seemed confused but he caught a flash of guilt in Xibalba’s eyes and his nod. He clenched his teeth and reached for his swords. “You-”

Whatever insult Joaquin was about to make was drowned out by Manolo’s bellow. “YOU!” Manolo snatched one of Joaquin’s swords from its scabbard and practically threw himself at Xibalba, Joaquin close behind. He managed to jab the sword at Xibalba’s neck but in his rage he was off target. 

The sharp edge cut into Xibalba’s neck but it was little more than a graze. Green blood oozed out of the wound and when it touched the metal, it bubbled as the blood ate away at the steel. Xibalba snapped his fingers and the two men froze, Manolo in mid air, his arm thrust out and his mouth open into a snarl. Joaquin’s face was expressionless but his eye was feral with its hatred. 

“Enough,” Xibalba said casually, flicking his wrist. Manolo and Joaquin were thrown to the back wall by an unseen force and were unable to move no matter how hard they struggled. Xibalba glanced down at where Manolo had dropped the sword during his push back. The bubbles spread through the metal and soon there was only a puddle of silvery green metal. He lifted a finger to wipe away the blood on his neck, the wound had already closed. “I did not come here to fight, fools.” He allowed the men to slump down on the ground, their backs still pressed against the wall. “I need your help.” It was obvious that Xibalba was loath to admit it.

“You bastard!” Joaquin yelled. 

“I’ll kill you!” Manolo shouted.

Xibalba’s wings twitched behind him even more. “You may not have to.” His words gave Manolo and Joaquin pause and Xibalba was quick to talk in that moment of silence. “The Land of the Remembered is dying.” He waited a few seconds for the words to be processed in their heads. The fight went out of them soon enough. “La Muerte is neglecting her realm.”

“Why do you care?” Manolo asked, genuinely curious. From his perspective, Xibalba should be delighted that La Muerte is allowing her realm to fall into ruin.

“Balance,” Xibalba answered. He held up a hand and Manolo and Joaquin could see the fingers quiver uncontrollably. “The Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten are on a scale the likes you could not even begin to comprehend. If the two realms are not balanced, everything falls apart, including gods.” 

Manolo and Joaquin shared a concerned look. They had the same thought: if a god like Xibalba was this effected, what about their families in the Land of the Remembered? “How can we fix this?” Manolo despised Xibalba but he was wise enough to know that he couldn’t let his feelings get in the way. If what he was saying was true, and he didn’t doubt it, then his family was in danger. 

“La Muerte must be happy,” Xibalba looked as if he had to force the words out. “If Maria does that then so be it.”

“Wait,” Joaquin held his hands up like he could physically halt the conversation. “You want your wife to get back with Maria?”

Xibalba nodded although the pain was clear in his eyes. “Yes. La Muerte is happy with Maria so she needs her.” For a moment he looked almost human with his shoulders slumped and his hands gripping onto his staff like an old man to a cane. “I want her to be happy and if that’s with Maria instead,” he took a deep breath, “instead of me then so be it.”

Manolo and Joaquin could only stare at him for a few moments. Manolo glanced at the closed door and for an absurd instant he wondered how Maria and Chuy hadn’t heard them. “Do you have an idea?” he asked Xibalba.

“Yes.” Xibalba’s fingers nervously tapped on his staff. “I know how to get La Muerte to meet me at the tree outside San Angel. It’s, it’s where we first met.” He took a swallow to fruitlessly get rid of the lump in his throat. “You two will get Maria to go there tomorrow.” 

The two men looked at the puddle that used to be one of Joaquin’s swords and nodded to the god. At once they were alone in their room. “How did we get ourselves into this mess?” Joaquin asked. 

“I don’t know,” Manolo said. “But we have to try. For Maria.”

“For Maria,” Joaquin agreed.


	20. Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this is it. It's been an awesome ride and I truly hope you all enjoyed the story. There will be an epilogue but it won't be that long. Special shoutout to Kessie_Amarra, thank you for your wonderful comments. They really have kept me going. Oh and before I forget, there is sexual content between two consenting adult women in this chapter.

Maria was just heading out of the orphanage when Manolo found her. She was tugging one end of the scarf she had taken to wear during the week to hide the bruise. It was now an ugly yellow and Maria guessed that another week would go by before she could stop wearing the scarf. She was looking forward to that. Maria had no clue how that woman who practically wrapped her whole head in that thick, red scarf every single day. 

“Manolo?” Maria said surprised. She could see the man in the distance, bypassing the children easily. The sounds of disappointment reached her ears when the children realized Chuy was not with him. Chuy was the one that walked her to and from the orphanage.

Manolo ran to Maria, fighting to catch his breath. He bent over and grabbed his knees, sucking in much needed mouthfuls of air. It was agreed upon by him and Joaquin that it would be more convincing if Manolo appeared out of breath and sweaty when he went to get Maria. Unfortunately the only way that image would be convincing to someone as observative as Maria was if Manolo was actually out of breath and sweaty. “It’s, it’s Joaquin,” he gasped out, a hand clutching at his side. Manolo’s bruise was also healing but it still hurt like a bitch running. 

“What happened to Joaquin?” For a brief moment, Maria was afraid that someone had discovered the truth about Joaquin’s and Manolo’s relationship. But if that were the case, Manolo wouldn’t be here or at least he wouldn't be here unhurt. 

“Your bruise,” Manolo said, straightening up now that he could breathe normally. “Joaquin found out that Xibalba hurt you. He’s going to challenge him at the tree! I tried to stop him but he won’t listen to me.”

Maria didn’t have time to ponder at how Joaquin had found out it was Xibalba that hurt her. If he challenged the god, and Maria could not say she was surprised if he did, then Xibalba would come and hurt him. Xibalba may have not wanted to kill her, but if Joaquin insulted him or tried to attack with his swords-

Maria did not finish the thought. She bolted from the orphanage, ignoring Manolo’s shout for her to wait. Manolo had no intention of chasing after Maria. His part in this scheme was done. 

It took ten minutes of Maria running for her to reach the bridge of San Angel. She could spot a figure at the tree and a burst of adrenaline pushed her legs faster. Maria did not look behind her to see if Manolo was with her, there was no time. 

It was only when she was in sight of the other figure did Maria noticed that it was not Xibalba. Almost like she sensed her presence, La Muerte turned around. They locked eyes just for a second, before Maria broke contact to look around the tree and La Muerte. She was at the end of the bridge, confused and studiously ignoring La Muerte.

“Where’s Joaquin?” Maria asked, still not looking back at La Muerte.

“Joaquin?” La Muerte repeated, hurt and confused and  _ weak _ . It was so hard for her to arrive at the Land of the Living. It had taken her no less than six tries before the petals stayed, as decayed as they were. After she came to the tree, La Muerte had to sit down and squeeze her eyes shut because the light of the sun hurt her too much. She was too used to the gloom of the darkness in the Land of the Remembered. Just as she stood up to call for Xibalba, she heard rapid footsteps behind her and found Maria. 

Maria wasn’t in the mood for this. She was only now been able to think of La Muerte without tears stinging her eyes. She needed to leave soon. “Where’s Joaquin?” Maria repeated. Her voice would have been cold and uncaring if it hadn’t trembled on her friend’s name.

“He is not here,” La Muerte answered, finding it was hard to talk herself. “Xibalba,” she had to take a moment to find her voice, “he sent for me.” La Muerte’s eyes glanced around one last time before settling back on Maria apologetically. “I think we’ve both been tricked.”

The insults that were muttered by Maria made La Muerte stare at her. Never had she heard such creative and rather unladylike insults. La Muerte almost pitied Manolo and Joaquin when Maria got to them.

When Maria ran out of insults, she moved her angry gaze to La Muerte. Her hard eyes faltered and pain leaked into them before she looked away. She started to turn away, her arms wrapping around herself. One end of the scarf tickled her forearm and she flinched as if it was on fire.

“Maria, wait.” La Muerte grabbed onto one of Maria’s arms. For a moment she held on tight and then Maria wrenched her arm free. Both women stared at La Muerte’s hand, Maria concerned and La Muerte sad but accepting. “Please, Maria.”

“Why should I?” Maria asked, hating the lump forming in her throat. “What can you possibly want from me? You won your stupid wager!” She turned her back to La Muerte and crossed her arms tight against her chest. If she looked behind her, she might start crying and that was not acceptable.

“No,” La Muerte said immediately, for the first time her voice was strong and clear. “I don’t care about that wager.” She moved closer to Maria inch by inch, knowing that any sudden movements and Maria would be off running in the opposite direction. “Please, mi amor, look at me.”

Maria hesitated but turned her head to gaze at La Muerte. They were now at the same height and blue eyes looked back at her. “Don’t call me that.” 

“Okay, but please listen to me.” La Muerte took the last step so they were in touching distance. She didn’t raise a finger to actually touch Maria like she desperately wanted to. She let that be Maria’s decision. “The wager is the reason why we met, I won’t deny it. But then everything became so complicated.” La Muerte stopped for a few moments, trying to figure out how to best put her feelings into words. “Maria, I became your friend, a _ true  _ friend, and then I fell in love.” Maria fully faced her at the words, surprise and the smallest glimmer of hope in her eyes. La Muerte grasped at the sudden burst of confidence to finish. “I don’t know how and I didn’t see it when it was happening but it did. And I don’t regret it.”

Neither women said anything after La Muerte stopped talking. Maria wanted to believe La Muerte and a small part of her does. But she had to ask the question that had been plaguing her ever since that night. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were in the beginning?”

La Muerte winced at the question. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly with a helpless shrug. “Maybe because I was afraid you would treat me differently if you knew who I really was.” Her fell to the ground as she said, “I thought you might be scared of me.”

Maria laid a hand on La Muerte’s forearm and at once blue eyes met hers. “I was never afraid of you, even when I first saw you two years ago. You helped save my town, my family.” She cupped La Muerte’s cheek, her thumb brushing over the swirls that adorned the skin. “How could you ever think that I would be afraid of you?”

“I told you before,” La Muerte whispered, lifting a hand to cover Maria’s hand, “gods feel the same as humans and we make mistakes like them. Maria, I’m sorry that I created that wager but I’m more sorry that I lied. I wanted to tell you who I was so many times.”

La Muerte was going to continue, perhaps beg for Maria’s forgiveness, but Maria stopped her with a kiss. Their teeth clicked at the desperate pace of it but La Muerte felt her heart soar with every second it lasted. After some time, Maria had to break the kiss to breathe and La Muerte held her close, afraid that if she allowed any slack, Maria would slip from her arms. 

“It’s been awful without you,” Maria said, their foreheads pressed together. She couldn’t stop two tears from spilling out and by the way La Muerte stroked her back, Maria knew she saw them. “I didn’t know it could hurt so much with you gone.”

“I’m sorry,” La Muerte whimpered. A few of her own tears left her eyes. They felt marvelously warm on her skin. “It’s been terrible for me too. It’s like a flame went out inside me. I couldn’t care for anything. Not even the Land of the Remembered.”

“I caused that?”

La Muerte shook her head immediately, kissing Maria lightly. “No, Maria. This is all my fault, none of it was yours.” She leaned back and studied Maria’s face. Her eyes were red and hinted at tears but there was also a ghost of a smile on her lips. La Muerte wanted nothing more than to make her smile at her like she used to. “Do you forgive me?”

Maria considered the question for a long time and finally gave a small shrug. “I don’t know if I can fully. It will take me some time and maybe I can but right now it still hurts.”

In a strange way, La Muerte appreciated the answer more than if Maria had said there was nothing to forgive or something like that. It was an honest answer and one La Muerte knew came from Maria’s heart. “And this?” She didn’t have to add anything else, only look at Maria meaningfully.

It took Maria longer to answer that question. She thought about all the fun the two had when La Muerte pretended to be Mary. But was she really pretending? La Muerte changed her physical appearance to blend in with the living, that Maria could understand. But the being Mary was, the way she thought and felt, that was La Muerte. Wasn’t it? 

“Yes,” Maria said finally. She pressed their lips together and her heart thumped faster at how she could practically taste the relief and hope on La Muerte’s lips. 

La Muerte pulled away from the kiss, feeling lighter than she had since the break up. It was like the flame that sputtered out was relit but it roared higher and brighter than ever before. “I want to show you something,” La Muerte said. The impulse would not let her go and she didn’t want it to. 

This time there was no hesitation. “What is it?” Maria had a good idea of what La Muerte wanted to show her. Her heart rate escalated into an excited pounding.

“Close your eyes and hold on tight to me,” La Muerte said. The second request wasn’t necessary; they were already holding on to one another like they were the other’s lifeline. Maria closed her eyes after a quick kiss. La Muerte snapped her fingers and to her relief, her magic responded at once. The petals even looked vibrant, if a little withered, and they were engulfed with the sweet scent of marigolds. La Muerte spied a small smile playing at Maria’s lips before they left the living realm. 

“Open them,” La Muerte murmured, watching for Maria’s reaction.

Maria slowly opened her eyes and gasped. She was in a throne room. She didn’t need La Muerte to tell her it was the goddess’s. Maria turned in a circle, her eyes taking in the beauty of La Muerte’s castle. She wanted to run her fingers across the swirls that were painted on the smooth stone. There was a crack in the wall here and there and perhaps some of the paint was dull, but the sight did not fail to take Maria’s breath away. Her eyes landed on the throne itself and she gaped openly at it. The throne appeared to have been magnificently carved from a chunk of gold. It was almost too bright to directly look at. 

“This is incredible,” Maria told La Muerte. She saw the proud smile on the older woman’s face and a bit of smugness in her eyes. Maria returned the smile and some brightness returned to La Muerte’s eyes. Maybe in a few days they would gain their usual luminescence. Maria could not help but feel a slight disappointment. Those blue eyes were lovely. 

“This wasn’t what I wanted to show you. Well, not all of it anyway.” There was a slight shyness in La Muerte’s voice that intrigued Maria. La Muerte held out a hand and Maria interlocked their fingers with a familiar ease. 

They walked through the palace with La Muerte leading. They went slowly so Maria could have time to look at everything. La Muerte smiled fondly at the younger woman as she watch her lover’s eyes roam with wonder. 

Eventually, La Muerte stopped in front of closed twin doors with handles crafted to appear as bull horns, intricate patterns carved into them to provide some grip. Maria was so captivated by her surroundings that she almost walked into La Muerte. The goddess gave a giggle, the hint of shyness still in her voice. La Muerte let go of Maria’s hand to grab both horns and twist. She threw open the doors and let Maria walk into the room.

It was La Muerte’s bedroom. It was more modestly styled than what Maria would have expected. There was a desk in front of a tall window that looked out at the realm. On the wall to the right were glass doors that led to a balcony. Not one inch of the wall was plain stone. There were the usual swirls of pastels but there were also murals that were so detailed that they looked like giant photographs. Maria wanted to study each one but she figured she would have time later and perhaps La Muerte could give the history behind each one. Most of the space in the room however was taken up by a large circular bed in the middle. Four poles were welded at four spots equidistant from each other on the bed frame and a slightly transparent canopy hid the covers from Maria’s eyes. Maria had no idea that La Muerte needed sleep.

“It feels good,” La Muerte whispered as if she could read Maria’s thoughts. She walked in front of Maria with her hands clasped in front of her. For a moment Maria had difficulty in seeing La Muerte instead of Mary. La Muerte glanced to the side to look at her room. “What do you think?”

“It’s wonderful,” Maria said. She closed the distance between them and pulled La Muerte’s head closer so she could kiss the goddess. Maria ran her fingers through La Muerte’s hair, the sombrero being lost some time before, and found that with her eyes closed, she couldn’t really tell the difference between Mary’s hair and La Muerte’s. Even their kisses felt the same if La Muerte’s a little hotter. The knowledge made Maria pull La Muerte closer, backing the goddess to the bed. 

“I missed you so much,” La Muerte murmured against Maria’s lips. She pulled away just long enough to move the silky sheets that hid the bed. They fell onto it with Maria on top of La Muerte, the kiss breaking into a fit of giggling from both women. 

“I missed you too, mi amor,” Maria husked, moving her lips to roam on La Muerte’s neck. She bit down on the flesh and felt the goddess shudder under her as a hand clenched a handful of her hair. Maria soothed the mark with a swipe of her tongue before kissing back to La Muerte’s lips. She stayed there for a few minutes, their bodies rocking against each other. Even with both of them fully clothed, their desire for one another rose ever higher.

It was La Muerte that gave the first whimper of desperate wanting. “Maria, I need you.”

Maybe it was her pride speaking, but hearing those words coming from a  _ goddess  _ made Maria smirk. She sat back to look at the panting goddess still sprawled out on the bed. She trailed her fingers up the line of marigold flowers that were attached to the bottom half of La Muerte’s dress and past that, her eyes taking in the ancient ruins stretched into La Muerte’s dress. They were beautiful but Maria only skimmed over them. When her fingertips met more marigold flowers and then La Muerte’s bare skin, she curled her fingers so she could grab at La Muerte’s dress. She gave a soft tug, not wanting to stretch out the fabric. “Off,” she ordered. 

La Muerte leaned up on her elbows and snapped her fingers. The dress dissolved to nothing as well as her two huge earrings. She bit her bottom lip as Maria took in her naked body. In the back of her brain, a small traitorous voice whispered that she should have transformed back into Mary. 

Maria hushed that voice with a hum of excitement, her pupils blown. “You’re lovely,” she said. Maria ran her hand up La Muerte’s calf and gasped at how warm the body was. There were golden swirls painted on her skin and Maria followed the pattern with her pointer finger. The leg trembled but La Muerte did not try to hurry the hand along. Maria suspected that La Muerte secretly loved the attention she was given. When she reached the apex of her legs, La Muerte grabbed her hand. Maria looked back at her face and saw some uncertainty. Maybe this was too fast? 

“You too, mi amor,” La Muerte breathed. She moved her legs under her body and sat up. She leaned over to grab at the scarf. Maria pulled away just enough so her fingertips only brushed against the fabric. “What’s wrong?” La Muerte asked, this time it was her that was worrying she might have overstep the boundaries.

“Xibalba,” Maria said, grabbing at her scarf. “The bruises haven’t fully healed.” 

“Let me see,” La Muerte said. She reached out again and laid her hands over Maria’s. Gently, she moved the hands away from the scarf and moved them so Maria’s arms were wrapped loosely around her waist. La Muerte went back to the scarf, unwrapping it from Maria’s neck like it was a fragile piece of glass. She gasped at the sight of the bruises and felt Maria’s arms start to move away from her waist. “Maria, don’t.” 

The arms went back to their spot only they held La Muerte tighter. It was not by much but it was all the confirmation La Muerte needed. The goddess kissed the bruised flesh, her lips barely touching the skin. She heard Maria sigh as warmth spread from where the lips kissed her to the rest of her body. It was like La Muerte was lighting a small fire in her. La Muerte pressed a few more kisses on the bruise before brushing Maria’s shoulder strap to the side to see the other bruise. She kissed each spot where Xibalba’s nails broke the skin. 

“Wait,” Maria murmured. “I wanted to touch you.” 

La Muerte chuckled into Maria’s shoulder. “Later.” She snapped her fingers again and laughed when Maria shuddered at the sudden draft that hit her bare skin. La Muerte nipped down Maria’s body and took a nipple in her mouth.

“Whoah,” Maria gasped. La Muerte’s mouth was much warmer than Mary’s. It felt so good that her fingers instinctively tugged La Muerte’s head closer to her breast. “Are you doing that on purpose?” she asked with a giggle.

Instead of answering, La Muerte switched nipples. Her right hand brushed through the damp curls on Maria’s privates before parting her lips. She groaned at the ample wetness she found. A finger slipped inside as La Muerte let go of the nipple after giving it a swift nibble. She watched Maria smile almost drunkenly at her. She pressed her thumb against Maria’s clit and returned to kissing the bruises on her neck and shoulder. 

“It’s okay,” Maria whimpered through her pleasure. She had one arm holding herself up now and she used the other to hold on to La Muerte. She turned her head to whisper into La Muerte’s hair. “I’m here, La Muerte.”

Ridiculously, tears stung La Muerte’s eyes. She would not allow herself to cry in front of Maria. She found Maria’s lips again as increased the speed of her fingers. “I know,” she said against those lips. La Muerte listened to every sound of pleasure that left Maria’s lips unhindered.  _ She _ was causing this. Not as Mary but as herself. The realization felt almost as blissful as Maria’s kisses. Almost.

When Maria was brought to climax, she clung to La Muerte. Her hips rocked against the fingers as she slowly drifted back down. “La Muerte,” she whispered the name as she opened her eyes, unaware that she had closed them. 

“Yes,” La Muerte withdrew her fingers and licked them clean of Maria’s essence. She laid back on the bed. 

Maria joined her, half laying on her her and half not. The younger woman traced some swirls on La Muerte’s body, fully content to stay there for eternity. 

“How do you feel?” La Muerte tried to hide the tiny amount of nervousness in her voice but by the way Maria’s eyes flashed up to meet hers, she knew she failed.

“Good,” Maria answered, kissing the spot where one of the swirls ended on her neck. “More than good actually. I feel,” she struggled for the right word, “I feel complete. Does that make sense?”

La Muerte wrapped her arms around Maria. “Yes. Of course it does.” She kissed the crown of Maria’s head. “You make sense to me, Maria.”

They passed a few more words between them but eventually sleep claimed them. Unbeknownst to them until the morning after, the Land of the Remembered was vibrant with color and celebration. Rather than celebrating families or bullfighting, the people were joyous with the return of their ruler. 


	21. Epilgoue

“The end,” Mary Beth finished her story with a smile. She listened to the group of children groan, disappointed that the tale had reached its conclusion. Once the groaning ended, they began to ask for more stories. “I’m sorry but there isn’t any time,” Mary said, a bit disappointed herself. The children may have gotten in some mischief at their school, but they had good hearts. 

She escorted the children out of the museum just in time for the bus to pick them up. Mary debated whether to reveal herself as La Muerte but she became distracted by the sight of three people heading towards her. She waved goodbye to the children in her human form as the three reached her.

It was two males who were holding hands and a female who was walking a rather chubby dog. The canine gave a strange bark that sounded almost like a pig’s bey and dashed to Mary. The woman let go of the leash, knowing the dog wouldn’t run off into the street. He sniffed at Mary curiously, his tail wagging furiously. Mary laughed and gave him a churro that she did not have a moment before. The dog snatched it out of her hand with a grateful bark. 

Mary turned her eyes to the group as the dog scarfed down the treat. Joaquin was wearing his police uniform, not a wrinkle in sight, while Manolo was wearing faded jeans and a simple black t-shirt. Slung on his back was his guitar. The fading light glinted off their matching wedding bands. Maria had on black slacks and a white blouse under a black jacket. And a very happy smile.

“How did your exhibition go, Maria?” Mary asked. 

Maria rolled her eyes. “Have any of my exhibitions went terrible?” Mary shook her head with a grin. “I sold five of my paintings and I was asked to come back in a year. What about you?” Maria looked Mary up and down. “I see the kids haven’t improved their aim with their spitballs.”

“They’re good children, Maria. They just need a little guidance.” Mary kissed Maria on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you, mi amor. Do you want to celebrate tonight?”

Maria nodded, her eyes glowing. “Yes. I asked Manolo and Joaquin to watch over Chuy tonight.” The dog raised his head at his name but soon went back to devouring his churro. “We can go to that lovely Italian place.” 

“Really?” Everyone knew that Maria preferred the steak house. It was Mary that adored the Italian restaurant. “Are you sure?”

“I am.” Maria quieted Mary’s misgivings with a quick kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms over Mary’s shoulders loosely. “So, how did the children like the ‘secret’ entrance?” 

The question was meant to switch topics and hopefully distract Mary, as both women well knew. But Mary indulged Maria, the younger woman deserved it with how much hard work she put in her latest art exhibit. “They loved it, as usual. I suppose that is one of your better pieces.”

“Better?” Maria scoffed in disbelief but there was a happy glimmer in her eyes. “I worked on that for months! I had to get it the stones  _ just right _ or else anyone could see the entrance.”

“And you did so wonderfully,” Mary conceded, nuzzling against Maria’s chin to show she didn’t mean any harm. “They also loved the artwork inside. Especially that bull.”

Maria grinned a little smugly. “I did have hundreds of years to work on it.” In truth it only took her a decade or two to finish the piece. It was an on and off project for Maria when she didn’t work on another art piece. “Did they say anything about my wall of skulls?”

Mary shrugged. “I’m sure they would have if I hadn’t started my story.” 

A delicate eyebrow rose. “And which version of the story did you tell?” 

“You know which one.” When Mary first talked about the tour, Maria was more than a little peeved that she usually had to end it with Manolo and Maria getting married. Mary had tried to explain that there was simply not enough time and for their story to make sense the first story must be told. She kissed away Maria’s frown. “Don’t be like that, mi amor.”

“You could always tell the condensed version,” Maria said, a slight pout on her lips. 

“Yes but some parts are not appropriate for children to hear.” 

“Those are the parts that you leave out. That’s why it’s the condensed version,” Maria said defensively.

Before the discussion could turn into an argument, Manolo cut in. “We’re in public you two.” 

Mary and Maria shared a glance and let the conversation move away from that subject. “So, do you want to start heading towards the Italian place?” Mary asked.

Maria chuckled and grabbed Mary’s hand. “Only if I get to pay this time.”

“Only if I get to buy you some flowers,” Mary countered as they started to walk  towards the restaurant. 

“Only if they’re marigolds.” 

“Of course,” Mary said. “You’ve always been fonder towards marigolds instead of the traditional roses.”

Maria laughed and her eyes shined with love. “Someone very special showed me how magical they are.” 

“She must have been very wise,” Mary said with a playful tone.

“Not really, but I still love you.”

“I love you too, my rose.” 


End file.
